Seven minutes until the calamity.
There once was a legend of a man destined to be King. He who ruled over all, with the power of the universe in the palm of his hand. That king is no more than a pile of ash now, his story drifting out of mind into the endless and level winds, stretching beyond the horizons, far, far away. Though the King shall never return, their sacrifice shall never be in vain.
Their power shall be immortalized in my name. Hear my name, all those with a sound heart, and let my words bind you beneath my feet for all eternity.
"Please, stand up!" Izu cried out, sticking her fingers below the ends of her carnation coloured hair, desperately searching for a pulse. There was nothing.
"Y-you can't do this to us…" The mage weeped, trying – and failing, over and over again. "It's not working! Nothing's working!"
Do you hear it? Do you hear their voices, loud and clear?
"Don't come any closer!"
Tell me, what are you truly afraid of? To die, knowing that you will be completely alone in your failure, or to live under clouds you cannot control?
The chasm around them began to crumble. Instability and inconsistency were the only constant within this room. It struggled with each waking moment to contain itself. "This is not your responsibility." Izu said, standing in the way of the mage. A contest of self-sacrifice began upon their imminent demise. "Leave this area, and don't look back!"
"I won't let you do that, not after all this!" She insisted. Insisting, insisting, it was all the two of them could do, but regardless of their pleas, all words fell onto long deaf ears that were tired of hearing the same story.
Time is a shadow we can only see under the sun. It is an echo of who we are now, and only when we realize that are we able to understand who we can become. Still, all that light… It surrounds us, and for what purpose? Why do we direct ourselves towards the shadow, the bitter and weak vessel that lingers as a meager representation of reality when there is so much left to be discovered?
"This is not your end." Izu retorted, each of them trying their hardest to save the other, but to no avail. "It is I who lead you both here, and I must ensure that mistake is corrected!" Colours began to fade away, as did light itself as they drew closer. "So please, allow me to make it right!"
Why do we choose to suffer in numbers? Solitude is salvation in the finest hour of desperation. The hymns grow louder. Take a listen to this symphony, and hold no more fear.
DEFEND, PLEASE!
DEFEND, PLEASE!
DEFEND, PLEASE!
DEFEND.
DEFEND.
END.
There are six minutes until the calamity.
AUTHOR'S NOTES (07/13/2023): Howdy! It's nice to see you again. OK, so some context. In case the tags or summary confused anyone, this story will take place post Wizard/Ex-Aid/Zero-One and contain spoilers for all three of them. This however also takes place past Zi-O, but not in the sense that it references the plot of Zi-O itself, rather how the ending creates Outsiders, which is a world where all the continuity from Kuuga to Zero One is merged into one. HOWEVER, you do not need to know all of those series because that is way too extensive, especially for me who is relatively new to this franchise (became a fan last year around November!) The ONLY series that you should have some background on are Ex-Aid, Wizard and Zero-One to reiterate. This story is going to follow the trio of Mayu Inamori, Izu, and Poppy Pipopapo hence the title. It's going to bring them through the merged world and along a journey that will bring everyone farther apart and closer together than they have ever been before. If you're a fan of mystery, action and friendship - or just kamen rider in general then I hope you like this story, because my intent is to produce stories that feel like they could definitely be canonical expansions, which is why I really love nailing the vibe of this franchise! It's goofy, but also very heartfelt and heart wrenching (also heart warming? that's three comparisons to the heart now). The three first tagged characters are those important to the story. There will be references to these three stories with cameos and minor subplots, but overall these three are the main characters! One day, I hope to expand this collection beyond this story. For those who have read or are currently reading my other Kamen Rider stories, this one shouldn't affect their schedules, and if you like what you see SO FAR, please check those out or leave a comment! I love seeing people get excited, and I especially love reading criticism. If I ever get facts wrong about one of the franchises, absolutely feel free to correct me. Wizard is the one I'm most versed on, with Ex-Aid falling second and Zero-One last, but I PROMISE I'll do my best to keep it both fair and exciting for fans of all three series! They're the ones that appeal to me the most. With that being said, enjoy The Witch, The Robot, and The Bugster!