Nothing… just an endless floating void. They were a being without a physical form. This little awareness was the only thing proving that they existed at all. But any other thought seemed to slip away the instant it popped up. There could be no examination, no reflection… only peaceful emptiness as they simply were.

Then, every sense, every feeling hit all at once and a bright light rapidly expanded to engulf everything. A horrid ringing filled the air, growing louder with each passing second.

He awoke with a start, gasping for air as he forced himself into an upright sitting position. His entire body was tingling, like it had been numbed. He winced as pinpricks shot across his hands as they sunk into the mattress. He couldn't stop the shivers the coursed through his body. For the briefest instant, his brain was yelling that he had died and been reborn, but he quickly shoved that thought aside. Stuff like that just didn't happen. Well… unless…

He shook his head, running a hand through his short, brown hair. He briefly stopped to scratch one spot. It felt just as messy as he remembered. Good, good… it was something for him to hang on to. His breathing had slowed down to a normal rate. Feeling was returning to his body. He was… he was fine.

Having calmed himself down, he began to take in his surroundings. This was definitely not where he remembered falling asleep. The first clue was that this bed was much larger than the one he had at home. The second was that the rest of the room was entirely different.

It was also much larger than his own room. A quick glance told him that the floors were wooden. On either wall to his left and right were thick curtains, presumably covering windows. To his left, there was a small bedside table with a digital clock and some kind of tablet on it. His eyes moved further along the eastern wall, past the large wardrobe and the full mirror next to it, settling on what was hanging nearby: a bow and a quiver full of arrows.

His face scrunched up, and he began walking to investigate further. He stopped when he passed the mirror, wanting to take a look at himself. Dark blues eyes stared back, as if daring him to find some kind of flaw. Despite his earlier scare, he wasn't any paler than he remembered, nor was he any less fit. Why he expected himself to no longer have a healthy tan, he didn't know. It must have been his paranoia over waking up in a strange place. His outfit looked the same as always as well. His gray button-up and brown vest looked as well kept as ever, as did the brown undershirt from what little he could see. His brown jeans were similarly in good shape, though he did find it strange that he was wearing his blue shoes while in bed. In fact, he definitely wouldn't be wearing his white gloves or his white armguard if he was sleeping.

His heart started beating faster, and he forced himself to look away, back towards the bow on the wall. It looked very similar to his own personal bow, but he knew that it wasn't. It looked brand new, while his had been showing signs of wear from the many years that it had served him. He'd been thinking about upgrading for a while, but he'd always felt like that would be abandoning an old friend.

…That's right. It was all coming back to him. Up until now, he hadn't thought about the fact that he couldn't remember his name. But looking at this bow jogged his memory. Of course it would. Because he was Daichi Yanagi, the Ultimate Archer.

Daichi quickly ran through as much of his past as possible in his head. If he had somehow forgotten his name, it was possible that something else was missing. However, to his relief, everything seemed to be in order. His relationship with his parents, how he got his talent, what happened to his brother, his girlfriend… all of it was still there. No blank spots to be found.

…He gasped. His girlfriend! The last thing he remembered was getting home after their date. They'd gone to see a movie but hadn't gone home together because she'd had a bad headache. If she hadn't done that, then there was a chance that she'd have been here with him in this strange room. He let out a sigh. She was probably safe.

Still, that meant someone had taken him while he was sleeping. Maybe they had knocked him out. It would explain initial fuzzy memory. When he tried to think back to anything that might have happened that night, nothing came to him. There wasn't any pain or lingering fuzziness. Did that mean that there really wasn't anything else to remember?

Seeing as that train of thought was a dead end, Daichi chose to take stock of the rest of the room. His eyes darted to the opposite wall. There was an open door leading to what looked like a pristine, white bathroom. To the right, in front of the curtains, there was a wooden table and two wooden chairs on either end. An empty shelf and a short cabinet sat to the side.

All that was left was the door opposite the bed (and the small rug at the foot of the door, but that didn't really count). There wasn't any window on it, so he wouldn't be able to see what would greet him when he opened it. Instinctively, he reached for the bow, then paused. Maybe he was overreacting.

…No, he woke up in an unfamiliar place, already fully dressed! This was exactly the situation where having something to defend himself would be useful. With that, he gently picked up the bow and the quiver from their spots on the wall and attached them to his back.

There was one last thing he wanted to do before heading out. He moved back towards the bedside table to inspect the tablet. The casing was entirely white, but there wasn't any logo that he could see. It didn't look like any brand he was familiar with. Curiously, he tapped the only button on the front to turn it on.

"Daichi Yanagi" was displayed at the top of the screen. Underneath, there were several boxes he could tap on: "Profiles," "Rules," "Merit," "Notes," and "Options." He selected "Profiles" first, but it brought up 16 different options that were only question marks. Frowning, he went back and tapped "Rules," only for a red X to appear over the icon. The same thing happened with "Merit," though "Notes" fared better. It only brought up a page for him to take notes on, but at least it was something he could use. Finally, "Options" was exactly what it sounded like, giving him some customization that he really didn't care about at the moment.

With a beleaguered sigh, he turned off the tablet and stuffed it in one of his pockets. It seemed completely useless, but he had a feeling that it would be important. He had no idea why he was so sure the locked functions would become available soon, but, for whatever reason, he didn't question it.

Enough stalling. Daichi took a deep breath, reached out his hand, and slowly opened the door.

He found himself greeted by several log cabins, each identical from the outside, at least from where he was standing. All of them were arranged in a circle, connected by stone walkways. In the center, there was a raised stone section in a circle, likely to serve as a makeshift bench, surrounding a small bed of flowers.

However, none of that was what held his attention. The backdrop to all of this quickly overtook everything else in his mind. Surrounding everything in a giant circle where impossibly high black walls. No matter how high he looked, he couldn't see the sky, for even the ceiling was completely pitch black, save for the bright light shining directly down. He was trapped in a giant cylinder of inky darkness.

"What the hell is…?" Daichi coughed before he could finish his sentence. His voice was raspy, and his throat itched. His legs began to wobble, and he hurried over to the seating area around the flowers. He sat down with more force than intended, wincing as a brief jolt of pain shot through his upper legs. "Where am I?"

"…Ah!"

A soft gasp came from behind him, and his body reacted faster than his brain. Whirling around, he took up a defensive stance, only to find a dark-skinned woman with dark brown dreadlocks staring back at him, looking just as scared as he did.

Grey eyes met his own, as both of them stood stock still, judging how much of a threat the other was. His brain eventually caught up to him, and he internally slapped himself. Of the two of them, he was clearly the more threatening person. Though (thankfully) he hadn't drawn his bow, he was still much taller than her. She didn't even have a weapon. Unless…

No, no, she'd have a hell of a time trying to hide a weapon with her outfit. The glint of silver briefly made his heart skip a beat, but it was just the cross necklace she had on. The butterfly sleeves of her white v-neck weren't long enough to be a proper hiding place, and there weren't any unusual shapes underneath her pale brown vest. Her light purple skirt was long enough, as it went down to her ankles, but her hands had gone up, not down, so she wasn't reaching there. Still his eyes trailed down, past the silver anklet on her right leg, and to her white flats. Again, no room there.

Daichi let his body relax and took a step back. "I'm sorry. You startled me."

The woman let out a shaky breath as she lowered her hands to clasp the daffodil at the tip of her v-neck. Now that he was less panicked, he noticed that her skirt and vest had a flower pattern on them. What was it again? Edelweiss? He wasn't all that familiar with flowers, but he did remember buying something along those lines for his girlfriend on their anniversary.

"N-no, it's quite alright. This ghastly situation has all of us on the precipice of madness." She spoke with an airy voice. It was almost musical.

"What do you mean 'all'?" he asked as he walked around the stone bench to stand closer to her. "There are others?" He grimaced after he spoke, realizing how foolish of a question that was. Obviously, there were others. Why else would there be so many cabins?

Still, if she thought any less of him for blurting that out, she didn't show it. Instead, a small smile, not a mocking one, formed as she said, "Oh yes. Most of them have already left to explore further. You're one of the few who had not yet left their cabin."

"I'm the last to wake up then. That's a shame. I hope that doesn't mean my sleep schedule's going to be messed up." He'd mostly said it to lighten the mood, though a small part of him was annoyed if that was the case.

"Oh no, you don't have to worry about being the last. There's still one other person who's yet to leave." She put a finger to her cheek. "Although, he shouldn't be long."

He frowned. "How can you tell?"

He'd meant it innocently enough, but the way her body stiffened told him that something was up. "I… please forget I said that. It was nothing but intuition."

Deciding to press her a little, he said, "You sounded confident when you said it."

She began fidgeting. "It's… nothing. I just… there's this feeling I have that he'll be out soon." Under her breath, she muttered, "A bad feeling…"

"…Okay then." Though her words were ominous, they made her sound more like she was superstitious than like she was hiding something. "That aside, I don't think either of us introduced ourselves. I'm Daichi Yanagi."

He reached out his hand, and she quickly shook it, eager to change the topic. "Yes, of course… It slipped my mind entirely. I'm Marie Grimm, the Ultimate Storyteller."

Daichi blinked. "You're an Ultimate too?"

Marie covered her mouth with her hands. "My apologies. You were also unaware of that fact… I believe that every person here is an Ultimate of some sort. It was quite unnerving when we all discovered that fact. I don't normally flaunt my status, but, given the circumstances, it seemed… appropriate."

"You don't have to worry about sounding egotistical," he assured her. "If what you're saying is true, that's worrying…" How was it possible for a large group of Ultimates to be kidnapped simultaneously?

"Perhaps the cruel hand of fate has guided all of us here," she suggested.

"…Not sure I'd go that far." Daichi shook his head. "Anyways, I should share my talent too. I'm the Ultimate Archer."

Her eyes lit up. "I should have understood sooner. That's why you carry a bow. I had thought at first that you had intended to hunt me."

"You don't have to worry about that, I promise. I've never hurt anybody with a bow and arrow before. I'm more of a trick shot specialist, to be honest." A couple of people had tried to get him to go hunting, but it never felt right to him.

She giggled at this. "I know better now… You need not fear me fearing you."

At that moment, a slight creek of a door caught both of their attention. They looked over to a nearby cabin just in time to see someone peeking through the crack of the door. However, in less than a second, the door slammed shut.

He looked down at Marie, whose smile had morphed into a frown, before returning his attention to the door and calling out, "It's alright! We're not going to hurt you."

A few seconds passed before the door slowly inched open and a scared voice called out, "T-then why do you h-have a bow?! You're gonna shoot me!"

"He didn't riddle me with arrows," Marie offered.

"You're working t-together!" was all she got in return.

Daichi held his hands up to show he meant no harm. "It's because I'm the Ultimate Archer. It's part of my talent. My name's Daichi Yanagi."

"A-an Ultimate?" A hint of skepticism wormed its way in.

Marie chose to back him up. "Everyone who woke up here is an Ultimate. I, myself, am one as well. Marie Grimm, the Ultimate Storyteller."

Both of them were watching the door for what felt like an hour, and, eventually, it slowly swung open completely, revealing the quivering man behind it. He was deathly pale. Somehow, he was even shorter than Marie, and yet his wild, scarlet hair was much longer than her dreadlocks. It looked as if he hadn't cut it in years, from the way it stuck out haphazardly from his black beanie. It was a miracle that the messy bangs he'd swept to the right didn't cover his eye.

Had Daichi not heard him speak, he might have assumed that the man was simply cold. He was wearing several thick layers. The innermost that he could see was a woolen beige turtleneck sweater, but, over that, was a blue parka with a beige hood and four large pockets. His black corduroy pants and brown belt looked worn, and the right knee had been haphazardly stitched over with a grey patch. He was also wearing the tallest pair of brown boots that Daichi had ever seen.

He was clutching the doorframe as though it was his only lifesaver. "Y-you're Ultimates too," he said through chattering teeth, mostly to himself. "That m-means y-you were k-kidnapped too. We're in the s-same situation. I can… I c-can trust you a l-little. Yeah…"

"That's right," Daichi encouraged him. "No one is hurting anyone here. We're all just as confused as you are." He wanted the poor man to ease up before he had a panic attack, but he couldn't help but be wary of him. He'd spotted the empty gun holster around his hip. That wasn't a problem on his own, but, if he ever found a gun and was paranoid enough…

"Okay… a-alright." Pushing himself off of the doorframe, he said, "I a-am Matoi Aisaki. I'm the Utimate Mercenary."

At the word "mercenary", Daichi took note of the golden pin on his beanie. The bow and arrow displayed on it were probably a symbol of whatever company he was working with. Whatever the case, it did feel a bit like his thunder was being stolen.

Matoi, oblivious to Daichi's thoughts, continued. "Y-you're all scared l-like me… Y-you'd better not be lying. I-if there's any h-hint of funny business…"

"I believe that only funny business here would come from that magician," Maria said. When Matoi tensed up, she explained, "That was a comment on xer talent, not xer suspiciousness."

"R-right…" Matoi took a few agonizingly slow steps towards them, his entire body trembling as he did so. "Th-this place is n-nightmare. W-we're stuck in this… this th-thing," he gestured to the black walls imprisoning them, "with b-barely anything of ours a-and a u-useless tablet."

"You got one too, then?" Daichi pulled his out of his pocket to show them.

Likewise, Matoi grabbed his from his pocket. "Y-yeah."

However, Marie tutted at them as she pulled her own out of a pocket sewn into her skirt. "I don't believe it's as useless as you think. Many of the options are inaccessible, yes, but the profiles fill out as we interact with others."

To demonstrate, she tapped the screen a few times before flipping it around to show it to them.

Daichi Yanagi

Talent: Ultimate Archer

Gender: Male (he/him)

Age: 22

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 155 lbs

Blood Type: AB+

Nationality: Japanese

Likes: Wind, Cleaning, Orchestral Music

Dislikes: Jobs, Bullies, White Noise

Daichi's eyes widened. "What? Who wrote this? How did they get this information?"

"I assume it is all correct," Marie said with a smile. "How curious… You dislike jobs, and yet you enjoy cleaning… I wouldn't have guess that combination."

"Look, it's just that my mom…" he spluttered and stopped himself before he said to much, "Never mind. This is so weird."

"It's not just you. All of us have profiles on there." Marie gestured for them to look at their own pads.

Matoi was gripping his tablet fiercely. "N-no way… they're spying on us? O-on me?! I h-have to check." He frantically tapped at the screen before sighing. "Good… good! I'm not on here. I-it's just you two."

Peering over his shoulder, Daichi saw that he was telling the truth. Only his and Marie's profiles were on there. He watched as Matoi tapped on all of them to confirm what he already knew. None of the blanked-out profiles reacted, though he did catch a glimpse of Marie's profile.

Marie Grimm

Talent: Ultimate Storyteller

Gender: Female (she/her)

Age: 22

Height: 5'4"

Weight: 125 lbs

Blood Type: O-

Nationality: German

Likes: Sweets, Rainy Days, Greek Tragedies

Dislikes: Spontaneity, Grimm's Fairy Tales, Aggressive People

However, Marie shook her head. "I'm afraid that's not the case. We don't appear to have our own profiles. It makes sense, in a way. Why would we need to know about ourselves? Although," she tapped her chin, "I suppose having amnesia isn't out of the question, though I don't recall anyone having that ailment."

Daichi, deciding to check if she was telling the truth, turned on his own tablet. Sure enough, he didn't have his own profile, but Marie and Matoi were both on there. "Sorry, but she's telling the truth." He showed Matoi his screen before he could be accused of lying.

Matoi Aisaki

Talent: Ultimate Mercenary

Gender: Male (he/him)

Age: 21

Height: 5'0"

Weight: 132 lbs

Blood Type: B-

Nationality: Japanese

Likes: Piano Music, Buttons, Pea Soup

Dislikes: Otters, Hospitals, Sticky Fluids

"N-no!" Matoi shouted. "Th-that's private! They're t-telling everyone a-all of my secrets! I'm n-not safe here!"

Daichi frowned. "I'm not a fan of this either, but it's really not that much information. It's not great, but I don't think you have to be so worried. It's going to be fine."

However, Matoi was not swayed. "I'm n-not taking any chances!" He sped back towards his cabin and tugged on the doorknob. To his horror, it did not budge. "L-locked?! But I didn't… it wasn't…" His pulling grew more desperate but to no avail.

Marie coughed politely. "If I may…"

Matoi cut her off before she could finish. "I have to g-get out of here! L-let me out!" He sprinted into the distance, out of sight and earshot in a matter of moments.

Neither of them said anything for a while. Daichi couldn't help but pity Matoi. Part of him wondered how someone like that could be a mercenary, but another part felt like that was a natural point for someone who faced countless deadly battles. Maybe he hadn't always been like that. Whatever the case, he really hoped that Matoi wouldn't hurt himself or anyone else he ran into.

"Oh dear." Marie bit her lip. "He disappeared before I could tell him that he has to use his tablet to unlock his cabin."

Daichi ran a hand through his hair. "It might be better that you didn't. We might never have seen him again if he knew that."

"Hmm… yes, that would be a shame. He has such an interesting cloud of misery following him," she replied.

He had no idea how to respond to that. Instead, he looked towards the stone path that was leading away from the circle of cabins. "I think I'm going to look around this place myself."

"An excellent idea. I believe I shall remain here for the time being." She looked off to the side. "A moment to collect my thoughts do me good. Do take care of yourself out there. We may all be in for a chilling revelation in the coming hours…"

More like she was in for more of her superstitions… Still, it was best to be polite. "I'll be sure to stay vigilant."

With that, he waved goodbye and headed off down the winding stone path. There wasn't anything of interest along the way, only a few plants here and there. If it wasn't for the circumstances that brought him here, it might make for a nice evening stroll.

It wasn't long before he got to a point of interest. The path expanded into a larger stone circle surrounding a three-tiered fountain. Past that was a huge building, though he couldn't tell what exactly it was from the outside. Maybe some kind of office? There were four wooden benches on the outermost edge of the stone circle, and, sitting on one of them, there was a woman who was panting softly.

His footsteps signaled his approach, and she looked up him with a smile and a wave. "Hey there!" she called out, sounding like she had just caught her breath.

It looked as though she had been exercising, given the light sweat dripping down her olive skin and past her hazel eyes. Her reddish-brown hair was pretty messy as well, what with her long bangs. It'd probably be messier if she hadn't pulled it into a long ponytail. Though it was a little difficult to tell underneath her clothes, it looked like she was in top shape.

Speaking of her clothes, he questioned her choice of an exercising outfit. The dark red t-shirt and dark blue cargo jeans were fine, as were her grey socks and black safety boots. Maybe her charcoal pullover hoodie would have been fine if it were chilly outside. However, the oversized black leather jacket was too much. With all of those layers, it was a wonder she hadn't overheated while doing whatever she'd been up to. Then again, she was apparently and Ultimate, so it could be a form of training for her.

"Hey yourself," Daichi called back. "Are you doing alright there?"

"What? Oh, yeah, yeah," she said. She pushed herself off the bench before he could stop her and lightly jogged towards him. "I was just looking around this whole area. I was pretty sure that there wasn't a gap in the walls somewhere, but I had to check."

He inhaled sharply through his teeth and winced. "You ran around the whole circumference?"

"I tried climbing some of the walls too," she confirmed. "It's no good. Even if you had the stamina to climb all the way to the top, there's no footholds anywhere. Those walls are completely smooth all around. If I had some tough climbing gear, then maybe…"

"In other words, there's no denying that we're trapped." He crossed his arms.

She gave a forced laugh. "Yeah, it's a real mood killer… Although, I'm sure it's what everyone was thinking from the start. I wasn't the only one having a look out there."

"Looks like you're the first one back," he pointed out. "Do you do this kind of stuff often?"

She made a face. "You mean for my talent?"

"Yeah, kind of. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Daichi Yanagi, the Ultimate Archer."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Daichi. I'm Ayame Kinjo." She gave him a two-fingered wave. "I'm the Ultimate Urban Explorer. Looking around places like this comes naturally to me, I suppose. They tend to be in worse shape, honestly. As deserted as this place is, it's in top notch condition."

Daichi nodded. "I hadn't thought about it, but you're right. My cabin was completely clean. There wasn't a speck of dust anywhere. The bed was probably neater than when I make it, and I make an effort to keep things tidy."

"Not just that," Ayame added. "These walkways are pristine. I think they were installed or restored recently. Either that, or they were never used when they were first put in, and someone just cleaned them up. I've never seen a place so pristine."

"Do you think they got this place ready specifically for us?" he wondered.

She shuddered. "Yes, I do. My cabin had all of my normal exploration gear in it, except it was all brand new. I'm not sure why they bothered. I haven't seen anything here that I could use it for."

"It's the same for me and my bow." He gestured to his back.

"Did you also get your normal outfits?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't bother checking the wardrobe before I left."

"There might be more than you think in there. I had a bunch of different outfits, like this, my exploration gear, my pajamas… I wonder if they raided my closet when they kidnapped me…" She scratched the back of her neck.

Daichi's eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute. If you have an exploration outfit, why didn't you wear that when you were running around?"

Ayame raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"Nothing," he quickly assured her. He hadn't meant it like that. "I just thought, you know, it'd make more sense to have something with less layers."

She stared at him dead in the eyes. "For you information, I wear this when I'm exploring. There's just more safety gear that I wear. I work perfectly fine in this."

He'd definitely messed up. "I'm sorry. I don't know anything about that kind of work. I shouldn't have judged you like that."

For a moment, Ayame's mouth trembled, but, after a bit, she relented. "No, it's fine. I guess it's a reasonable observation. You didn't mean anything by it."

"I definitely didn't mean to critique your expertise. As an archer, I try to dress lightly. It's more intensive than you'd think, but I shouldn't have had a reason to equate that experience to exploring." He didn't want her to think that she had been unreasonable.

"No, that makes sense." She bit her lip. "…To be honest, I really hate the cold. It's kind of embarrassing, saying that out loud."

Daichi gave a small laugh. "I'm the complete opposite. I'll take a strong wind over overheating any day of the week."

"Weirdo." She said it playfully. Good to know that they'd cleared up that little kerfuffle. "Anyways, you should probably go meet the others. Most of them are inside the main lodge."

So, that building was a lodge, then… Or maybe that's only what she called it. "Got it. Thanks for the info from before."

"Don't mention it," she said, waving as she headed back to the bench.

"Oh, before I go, I should mention that there's another guy running around here. He's really short, he's got long red hair, and he's wearing a parka," he listed off. "I'm only mentioning it because he's really freaked out by the situation we're in, and he might be dangerous. He's the Ultimate Mercenary, so, just in case…"

Ayame nodded. "I understand. I'll go find him once I'm done resting."

Daichi blinked. "It was more of a warning than a request."

"I'll be fine," she reassured him. "Like I said, I wasn't the only one having a look around the perimeter. The other two are… marginally less friendly than I am." She tapped her chin. "Maybe just one of them, actually. The other guy's friendly, but he's also an enigma. I might be the best one to handle things."

Her words didn't fully put his mind at ease, but what other choice did he have? He didn't want to look for Matoi on his own, and Ayame sounded confident. If she thought she could handle it, he shouldn't doubt her. Having given his advice, he head towards the building, taking a peak at Ayame's profile as he did.

Ayame Kinjo

Talent: Ultimate Urban Explorer

Gender: Female (she/her)

Age: 24

Height: 5'6"

Weight: 132 lbs

Blood Type: O-

Nationality: Japanese-American

Likes: Ghost Towns, Long Walks, Lost Media

Dislikes: Vandals, Cold Weather, Bureaucracy

Before long, Daichi stood in front of the supposed lodge. He didn't have any better word for it. It was… non-descript, like a building that used to be a grocery store but had since gone out of business. It looked to be made of concrete, albeit one with an immaculate coat of reddish-brown paint. The roof was flat, so he couldn't see how well it was kept (though he had no reason to think it was messy).

He was about to head towards the double doors when they were pushed open. He barely had time to step out of the way before they hit him. He felt himself stumble, but a large hand covered in thin brown bracelets caught him before he could fall.

"Whoa there! Sorry about that. You're not hurt, are ya?" The voice that greeted him was fairly relaxed and almost jovial, despite the situation.

He nodded and got back on his feet. "Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks for catching me." He took the time to get a better look at the man in front of him.

He was huge, both in height and size. He stood a good few inches above Daichi, and every bit of his body was large. His belly, his face, even his arms and legs… All of them had a pudgy softness to them. Despite his size, everything about him radiated friendliness. He looked like he didn't know how to stop having a carefree smile, especially with how the light shined off of his pale brown skin and how his eyes were almost closed. Even his black hair looked relaxed, from the small bun at the top to how it curled down past his shoulders to the pinkish-orange petals that were sprinkled around.

He wasn't wearing a shirt. Instead, he had an open robe, which looked like a sunset from red to orange to yellow. There was some kind of design, perhaps Polynesian, on the left side, but Daichi didn't know enough to recognize it. He also had a similarly colored… skirt? Kilt? Some kind of long cloth that wrapped around his body, at any rate, which was embroidered with red and orange flowers and held up by a loose belt. Somehow, none of the colors were overpowering. It was pleasant. Probably the only things that lacked color were his wooden weave sandals.

"Good! I wouldn't wanna cause any stress. That'd make for a real bad first impression." The man laughed. The three necklaces he was wearing vibrated as he did so. One looked like a turtle carving, another a figurine, and the last a piece wood with some kind of carving on it. "I'm Malosi Olioli, the Ultimate Cultural Affairs Coordinator."

"Daichi Yanagi. I'm the Ultimate Archer," he offered in return.

Malosi grinned and patted him on the back. Though his hand was huge, it was surprisingly gentle. "Daichi… that's a good name. I like it!"

"Uh… thanks. Same to you with your name?" It wasn't a compliment he'd prepared to get, but it was nice, in a strange way.

Again, Malosi laughed a deep belly laugh. "Thank you, thank you! Hope you've been having a good time so far. I know this place isn't ideal, but that's no reason to not make the best of things, right?"

Daichi frowned. "Do you have some kind of idea about what's going on? Most of the people I've met so far have been Japanese, but there was this one German girl, and you don't look like you're from Japan…"

At the mention of "German," Malosi's eyes lit up. "You've met Marie. How was she?"

"…I don't know. She sounded content enough, but I couldn't get a good enough read on her to tell. She kept saying some strange things," Daichi replied.

"When I left her, I felt like something was really spooking her. But it sounds like she's calmed down a bit." Malosi smiled. "Sounds like sitting near the flowers helped out! Gardens always make me feel better. That's why I'm out here now, actually. Fresh air does the body good. It's better for naps too!" He coughed. "Oh, whoops, I totally forgot about your question. My bad!"

Daichi sighed. "It was a little accusatory… I was only asking because you said you were the Ultimate Cultural Affairs Coordinator, and…"

Nodding, Malosi finished for him. "There's a lot of folks from all round the world here. It sounds like something I'd put together, minus the 'kidnapping people while they're taking a snooze in their backyard' bit. But, yeah, no, I didn't set this up. Don't know any more than you do, I'm afraid. Unless you know something, that is."

"No, I don't know anything either." Daichi groaned.

"Far as I can tell, nobody has any ideas on what's happening." Malosi tapped his foot. "Ah well. If that's that, then there's no point fussing over it. If we don't know, then we don't know."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's a blasé way to think about things. It's only natural to wonder about something like this. We might get ourselves into trouble if we let our guard down."

"I mean, you're right and all, but think of it this…" Malosi stopped midsentence, as a set of heavy footsteps came from behind them. He looked past Daichi and waved. "Hey man! How'd it go?"

Daichi turned around and came face to face with a very tall, disheveled man. He was taller than Malosi, but his body was the exact opposite. He was fairly slim, but it was obvious that it wasn't healthy, possibly due to malnutrition. He had an easygoing smile and bright green eyes, but it was more casually confident than friendly. The three diagonal scars along his cheek didn't help either. It looked like he'd tried to slick back his black hair and cover up any mishaps with a dark green headband. However, the loose strands and the way it fell down to his shoulders in gnarled tangles counteracted any professionalism that might have had.

His clothes were even worse. His dark brown shirt looked to be too large, especially as it hung low around his neck. His dark green duster coat had so many tears in it that it was a wonder it was still together, and the light brown fur around the collar had seen better days. He had at least tried to stitch up some of the holes in his black jeans, but the snakeskin belt was barely holding them up. It looked like he'd tried to preserve his dark brown knee-high leather boots with some leather half-chaps, but Daichi doubted there was any point to that.

This man, who could be charitably called filthy, shrugged in response to Malosi's question. "Meh. Nothing worth seeing, nowhere worth being."

Malosi frowned. "Nothing at all? That's a shame."

"I did see some guy screaming about being hunted or something, but I steered clear of that mess." His smirk grew. "I know trouble when I see it. Didn't feel like getting involved."

Daichi groaned. "That'd be Matoi…"

"That his name then?" The stranger sniffed. "Guess I'd find out eventually on my own, so I don't know why I'm asking."

"It sounds like you two haven't met yet." Malosi clapped his hands together.

Nodding, Daichi said, "Nope. I'm Daichi Yanagi, the Ultimate Archer."

However, the man waved him off. "Nah, not right now. I'm not in the mood to talk. All that walking made me hungry again. If I'm getting stuck here, I'm raiding the pantry as often as I can. Really make them pay for it if they wanna keep me here."

"Wait, you're not even going to…" Daichi began.

Again, he was dismissed. "I'm done listening now. Stop by the kitchen if you wanna talk. See you in a few." His smirk didn't fade as he walked right past the two of them and into the building. Somehow, the doors shutting behind him sounded smug.

It took a few seconds for Daichi to recover. "…Who was that guy?"

Malosi replied, "I should let him introduce himself when he's ready. He's… ah… it's a little complicated, but he'd be the best person for that. Trust me."

Daichi gave him a flat stare. "Well, I trust you more than I trust him."

"He's not really that bad, I promise," Malosi said. "He might be a bit abrasive at times, but I'm sure he's had a tough life."

"Did you know him before you got here?" Daichi questioned him.

He shook his head. "No, but I'm good at getting a read on people. When you meet as many folks as I do, it's a skill you have to develop. Otherwise, you'll make a ton of people feel uncomfortable. Speaking of people being uncomfortable…"

"Matoi, the person freaking out that that man mentioned, right?" When Malosi confirmed this, Daichi continued. "Ayame said she was going to find and calm him down. I tried to warn her that he might be dangerous since he's the Ultimate Mercenary, but she was sure she could manage."

Malosi replied, "Good to hear Ayame's on the case. I think I'll give her a hand while I'm out here. I was hoping to take a little break, but I might as well help before things get too out of hand."

"Best of luck. I'm heading inside." The two of them separated with a cheery goodbye. Daichi pulled out his tablet as he pulled the doors open. Unfortunately, the stranger's profile hadn't been registered, but at least he could find out more about Malosi.

Malosi Olioli

Talent: Ultimate Cultural Affairs Coordinator

Gender: Male (he/him)

Age: 24

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 281 lbs

Blood Type: O+

Nationality: Samoan

Likes: Cultural Legends, Sleeping, Fruits

Dislikes: Conflict, Materialism, American School System

Daichi walked into a fairly standard foyer. The flooring was a nice, dark brown wood that was covered by a few long, elaborate carpets. The walls were a shade of dark red and had a few paintings on them, but they were otherwise bare. Aside from a few potted plants (likely fake ones), there wasn't much to look at. There were three doors in front of him, one for each wall.

Before he could decide where he would start, he heard some noises coming from the door to the right. It sounded like someone was hitting a metal object. As he listened closer, he could hear some loud voices in that direction as well. His choice was made for him.

He choked as he stepped into the room. Whatever he had been expecting, nothing could have prepared him for the row of three jail cells that greeted him. Each of them were equipped with a bed, a small table jutting out of the wall, a sink, and a toilet, though thankfully a short wall was blocking line of sight to the latter. Strangely (or not due to the state of everything else he'd seen since waking up), the cells were completely clean. At the back of the room, there was a large metal door with an oversized golden lock and chains shackled in front of it.

The source of the noise was immediately apparent. There was a large, toned man with thick, curly dark brown hair standing in front the lock, a small hammer in his hand. Despite its size, his strength was enough for a small dent to appear in the side of the lock, though it appeared no closer to breaking. After a few quick swings, he looked off to the side, giving Daichi a good view of his face. His grey eyes were steely and determined, as his gold bangs framed them.

Daichi also got a better look at his outfit. He was wearing a light blue-grey hoodie with what looked like a crow's head as the hood. It was only zipped up halfway, letting him see the white v-neck with large yellow stripes underneath. His light brown cargo pants went all the way down to his brown boots. There was a brown apron tied around his waist, though it looked heftier than ones meant for cooking.

He followed the man's gaze over to the cell closest to the door and was, again, stunned to see a very pale, thin person kneeling down on the inside. It was difficult to tell from xer position, but xey looked to be about the same height as he was. Xey were facing towards the lock, xer green eyes completely focused on it as xer hands deftly maneuvered a lockpick. Xer blond hair was tied into a low bun.

It wasn't difficult to guess what xer job might be. Everything about xem screamed magician. Xer white shirt, red bowtie, black jacket, and black suit pants all looked standard issue, though xer red vest did have a unique gold diamond pattern on it. Still, what with the black cape with a velvet red inside and black top hat, there couldn't be any doubt. He did note the citrine point necklace xey had on was unique, but xey were otherwise completely in uniform.

Completely enraptured by the show, Daichi stood still in silence. Both displays were equally impressive in their own right, but something told him that the magician had the edge. Sure enough, before long, there was a clicking sound, and the cell door swiung open.

"Aha! Victory is mine!" xey shouted. With a forward somersault, xey rolled out of cell and into the room proper. Xey landed on xer knees and threw xer arms out towards the sky.

The other man hit the side of his knee with his free hand. "Damn! I really thought I had that. Well done."

"Come now, good sir. Though your strength is apparent, it is far more obvious how little your actions mattered." Xey elbowed him lightly in his stomach. "You'd made nary an inch of progress on your lock."

"I got a little far…" The man sighed but the small smile on his face betrayed his true feelings. "Ah well, what can you do? I bet you already knew how this was going to turn out when you challenged me."

Xey covered xer mouth with a gloved hand. "I never claim to play fair." With a wink, xey turned towards Daichi. "But enough of our little game. We've got a fresh face to greet!"

"Huh?" Follow the magician's gaze, the man did a double take. "Shoot, sorry man! Hope we weren't making too much noise. How long have you been standing there?"

"Only a few minutes," Daichi reassured him. "I'm Daichi Yanagi, the Ultimate Archer."

He chuckled. "Ha, that's good! I didn't wanna be rude, ignoring you for so long. My name's…"

He was interrupted by the other person quickly putting a finger to his mouth. "Now, now… I won our little competition, so I should introduce myself first."

"I thought that was for bragging rights," he replied, rolling his eyes but keeping his well-natured smile.

"Well, the stakes have changed, haven't they? A small victory deserves a small reward, I think." When xey got no pushback, xer grin widened. "Excellent. Without further ado, I present to you: Felix Evans, Ultimate Stage Magician. Charmed to meet you."

Not one to be outdone, xer friend also introduced himself. "And I'm Markus Star, but some of my friends call me Sunshine. I'm the Ultimate Goldsmith. You seem pretty nice, so I'm sure we'll get along great!"

That was a quick judgment. Daichi had only said a few sentences. He probably had a better grasp of the two of them than they did of him. Perhaps Markus was just a friendly person. Whatever the case, he said, "It sounded like the two of you were testing your talents."

"Felix more than me," Markus admitted. "I make things, not break them."

"Oh ho? And you believe that I pick locks in front of an audience?" Felix fanned xemself. "That's not much of a trick, is it? Were I to ever do something like that, I would at least do it behind my back and with the lock around my wrists."

Markus shrugged. "That's still closer than what I do. I'm not smashing my jewelry into tiny pieces. Making art requires a delicate touch, you know."

"Ah, what I wouldn't give to feel such a delicate touch…" Xey gave an exaggerated sigh before addressing Daichi. "But, yes, that's the long and short of it. When we got here, we couldn't help but admire that magnificent lock."

"We looked it over and got to talking about how best to get it open," Markus explained. "I offered to try physically breaking it open, but Felix was really disappointed that xey weren't able to show off xer lockpicking skills. So, we fought it out."

Felix raised a finger in the air and announced, "Who would be the fastest: the golden smithy Sunshine and the equally golden lock, or the magnificent Felix and the jail cell triplets? A battle for the ages!" Xey lowered xer hand and shrugged with a smug smile. "Or that's what I would call it had I not soundly thrashed my foe. He made no progress in the same time it took for me to open all three of these cells."

"You're really taking the bragging rights reward to the fullest, aren't you?" Markus laughed and patted xem on the back.

Xey stumbled forwards but caught xemself. "Why shouldn't I? I worked hard for my win."

Though their antics were entertaining, Daichi was confused about one detail. "Wait, if Felix wanted to pick the lock, why did xey go first? It's hard to pick a lock that's been busted open."

"Well," Markus said as he rubbed the back of his neck, "that's because xey couldn't pick it even if xey wanted to."

Felix nodded sagely. "Difficult is it to open that which is broken, but impossible is it to open something that cannot be opened."

When he stared blankly at them, Markus translated for him. "It's a fake lock."

"Or a trick one!" Felix interjected. Then, under xer breath, xey muttered, "A damn good trick lock if it is one…"

He continued as though xey hadn't said anything. "We both had a good look at it. We couldn't find a locking mechanism in there at all. It might as well be another link on the chain, just one that's shaped like a lock."

"That's odd. I wonder what's behind this door. If it was something the people who kidnapped us really didn't want us to get to, you'd think this door would be better hidden," Daichi said.

Markus nodded. "Felix was saying something like that too. I thought it might've been a way out, but xey made a good point."

At this, Felix perked up. "Were this to be our escape from this prison, surely it would be labeled as such. There's far more drama in showing the audience what they want right when you cruelly keep it just out of reach. And, given those walls of darkness that stretch high into the heavens, our captors surely have a flair for drama."

"What do you think is behind there, then?" Daichi asked. "It might be the jail aesthetic, but I'm getting a bad feeling about it."

"Another cell, most likely," Felix says with a shrug. "Truthfully, there's probably nothing of interest in there, but the mystery itself is what compels me."

Markus pursed his lips. "It's gotta be a higher security cell. I'm thinking like a solitary one. You know, for when you really don't want them interacting with the other prisoners."

As Daichi stepped closer to the door to get a better look, he couldn't suppress the shiver that ran through his body. "Maybe we shouldn't mess with it."

"And fail to find the golden prize behind the golden lock?" Felix gasped.

"Actually," Markus said after he coughed politely, "none of this is gold. I think it's painted to look like it. I've worked a lot with gold, so I'd recognize the feel of it. Whatever these chains are made of, it's way sturdier."

Suddenly, Felix's head shot up. "The chains! Of course! We've failed to inspect the chains. That must be where the trick is!"

"Oh damn, you're probably right." Markus gave xem a huge pat on the back. "I hadn't thought of that. Nice going!"

Xey laughed. "I knew there had to be some trick to it. No lock can outsmart me."

"Really? It might still just be a fake lock," Daichi said, but his words fell on deaf ears. The two of them had already gone into full swing looking into this new possibility.

"Ooh… some of those chains are awfully high up." Felix gave Markus an appreciative look. "Hmm… hmm… lucky I have such a dashingly strong partner to assist me."

Markus didn't seem bothered by the flirt, but he didn't return it either. "I can definitely lift you up there, no sweat! Try to make it quick though… I don't want to put too much stress on my shoulders."

"Do you know who you're talking to? I'll work as quick as a flash of lightning!" Felix boasted.

Daichi decided to leave the two of them to their antics. He still wasn't sure that they were onto something, but a larger part of him was unnerved by whatever was behind that door. For some reason, looking at it again sent shivers down his spine, but it had to be his imagination. Desperate for some distraction, he looked over Felix's and Markus's profiles as he left the room.

Felix Evans

Talent: Ultimate Stage Magician

Gender: Nonbinary (xey/xem)

Age: 21

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 151 lbs

Blood Type: B+

Nationality: British

Likes: Bourbon, Attentive Audiences, Sparkly Objects

Dislikes: Cheap Food, Cigarettes, Being Dirty

Markus Star

Talent: Ultimate Goldsmith

Gender: Male (he/him)

Age: 20

Height: 6'0"

Weight: 163 lbs

Blood Type: A-

Nationality: American

Likes: Crows, Summer, Group Activities

Dislikes: Lectures, Bullies, Sleeping

A/N: Hey folks. I'm so sorry about how long this took to get out. I wanted it to be done last week, but I hurt my back pretty bad. It turns out that it's hard to want to create things when you're in horrible pain. How about that? Anyways, I'm very sorry that not every character is in this chapter. However, I promise that the next part is already written and will contain the rest of the characters Honestly, both parts were supposed to be one chapter, but it ended up being way too long for my liking, and I didn't want people to expect chapters to be that long going forwards. If I force myself to make these chapters a certain length, I'm definitely going to burn myself out again. Either way, I hope that this was an enjoyable chapter. I'd really appreciate any feedback you have or thoughts on each character if you have the time and energy to do so. I hope that you have a good day, and please take care of yourself!