Danganronpa: Gold House (CLOSED SYOC)

by CandleFire45

The manor lies at the edge of the forest, allowing teeters of black pines to grind against its wall like sandpaper. Accompanied by the howling winds of thundering snow, the darkness is defending, the shining layers consuming all in its wake. But darkness cannot last forever, and in the midst of the chaos, a glint of shimmering gold and glowing blood can be seen.

11. Wings Of Angels (Chapter 1) (Daily)

Beta Reader: The brilliant, amazing, never been outdone, stunning, ethereal, show stopping, jaw dropping, party rocker, flawless, untouchable, shine bright like a diamond, Amaya stanning, eternity loving, "that" author Sempi

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Our Sacrificial Waltz To Everlasting Memory

Chapter 1

---

"I just want... people to trust me..."

"How is that so bad of a request? I want acceptance..."

"It's not fair. Everyone is so close together... so why not me?"

"I want to break free of this mental prison."

"...and I want to fly above this damned Earth."

---

Wings Of Angels

(Part 1)

---

The door to the Angel Room was nothing short of beautiful.

The surface was done in a gleaming white, with animated designs of stars glowing on the surface. There was no knob to indicate it could be opened, but instead, a glimmering design of three petals floating above the door. It spun elegantly, light flickering from the phantom image as it beckoned to anyone who came across it.

But despite its ethereal, almost intimidating beauty, Prince was more so shocked by the three individuals standing before it. Koji... Anata... and Hania. He expected Hania to be there, but Anata and Koji came as a surprise given their absence from the group.

So to be at the Angel Room of all places definitely bewildered Prince. "Y-You guys…? What are you doing here?" He questioned with some unease to his voice.

"Prince?!" Koji could only grip his jacket, his eyes darting from Prince to the door, as if caught in some shameful act. "I was just... I mean, we-" he gestured to Anata and Hania "-were just investigating this door-" the undertaker then corrected his posture, his stoic expression returning. "And why exactly are you here?"

The suspicious tone shut Prince up, now being on the receiving end of the burning questions. "I... wanted to investigate the Angel Room a-after hearing Hania talk about it," he answered softly, although he noted the video game developer shot a look at him for bringing her up. Whoops. "T-That's fine... right?"

Hania slowly nodded, crossing her arms with little more than a frown. Seems she was fine with it.

"Guess we're all here for the same reason then." Anata crossed her arms and glanced back at the Angel Room door. "It's been a while, Prince."

"Y-Yeah… it has been…" But he knew neither the undertaker or storyteller wanted to talk about their absence during breakfast… nor their words after the announcement. Instead of risking a conversation, he eyed the magical door with the group. Instantly his heart fluttered at the sight, unsure of the dangers and discoveries waiting within.

He only knew one thing for sure. "So... Empress... is w-waiting for us here, right?" He sputtered aloud. Similar looks of worry rested on the trio's faces nearby, but Koji stood tall enough to shrug over the matter.

"Yeah, obviously..." The undertaker murmured. "From the announcements, she's made her plan to be available in this room, yeah? So she might actually give us some useful info. Although why she calls it an 'Angel Room' is beyond me. That implies this room is some kind of haven or heaven… but I don't sense any goodwill from either her or this room."

"W-Well, she is one of our captors so… it makes sense why you'd feel that way." Prince cringed at the memories of the ghostly woman, and of her abilities. "With all t-that magical stuff she can do, I wouldn't e-expect her to teach it to us."

Hania, who had stayed relatively quiet, suddenly murmured, "well she is the 'Informer', that's her job."

"R-Right…" There wasn't much he could understand about Empress other than that title. The 'Informer'. Everything else was a mystery. Alexander and Omen could be chalked up into respective personalities and roles, but Prince had no idea what to make of the terrifying woman.

So… he chose not to think about it at all for now. Instead he changed the topic, "um… so… you all are here to learn the magic too, yeah?"

"Or to get info, that's the Informer's job." Anata corrected.

With how fast she said it, Prince didn't even realize she was speaking. Koji caught her words and seemed especially offended. "Learning about the properties of magic here is the same as getting info you know." The undertaker pointed out, albeit quietly at first.

"I don't doubt that one bit." The storyteller this time caught his words. "But there's more important things to learn other than magic tricks, although I think that kid, Fudo, would appreciate it."

Prince's eyes flickered in interest. The language the storyteller used sounded closer to Kanon than everyone else. "A-Are you not interested in the magic here, Anata?"

She didn't have time to answer as suddenly the door to the Angel Room opened. Prince jumped at this, as did Hania. Koji lingered back a bit, his face scrunching up shocked as the mist rolled by his feet from the door. Meanwhile, Anata went right to the front, peering inside the room without hesitation. It was almost scary how fast she moved.

"W-What's inside?" Prince asked, watching the storyteller look into the room, expecting something to pop out.

Instead, she stepped back, her eyes squinting, "It's… empty."

"Empty?!" Koji and Prince said in unison. Hania perked up at this info as well.

Koji pressed forward, his sharp red eyes turning grave as he raced inside. "What do you mean it's empty? There was supposed to be something... useful in there!" His voice faded as he entered the room.

"Guess he's charging in without a clue," Anata shrugged as she leaned back against the wall, "Hania, Prince... you guys should check it out too if you want." Hania didn't hesitate, she walked inside with a distant expression.

But Prince lingered outside for a bit, simply staring at Anata as the Angel Room produced bits of mist, "Hey Anata... aren't you going to l-look inside as well?"

"I'd rather trail behind you guys," Anata confessed, "it's safer that way."

'...For you or us?' Prince wondered. He hated thinking that way, but ever since her declaration to go it alone yesterday... and the most recent happenings this morning with Alexander, he was thinking differently about some things. However he didn't dare say that aloud as he glanced over at Anata, studying her like how she studied him.

Anata raised her eyebrows at the action. "Something the matter?" It appeared like she was asking more out of formality if anything.

"Y-You didn't come to breakfast." Prince fiddled with his fingers when he pointed that out, trying to think of something quick. "Do we come off a… c-certain way to you?" Is all he could manage to spew, his heart bubbling with dread.

"What a way to start a conversation," The storyteller murmured, frowning. "Koji didn't attend either you know."

"I know but..." Prince gulped. "Why did you make that choice?"

"Because I followed how I felt," Anata shrugged, "I'm not just gonna rejoin the group after what I said yesterday. I meant those words and I'll stick by them until someone proves me wrong."

The coldness she emitted gave Prince a pause, but somehow, the confidence and casual nature of that coldness assured his own feelings of uncertainty, as if it was okay to feel as he did. And yet... "W-What if what you feel... really hurts you? Like... if you hide something for the sake of yourself... but it hurts not to tell everyone."

This time Anata actually looked surprised by his question. "Why does it hurt Prince? You feeling nervous lately?"

"...A little." Perhaps it was because she left the group earlier, but Prince didn't have any trouble telling the truth to her… not like Amaya. Could it be that he didn't care about Anata's opinion of him? "I woke up today feeling… I-I guess a bit scared over all this… and how people are thinking of me. But that doesn't mean I don't trust you or anything, or want to b-be... you know, suspicious of others. I just don't want people to be-"

"-Distrustful of you." Anata suddenly finished his words as she smiled vaguely. "And here I thought you were all sunshine and smiles."

"I'd like to b-be, but…" Prince's words faded away as he recalled Alexander's taunt during the morning. The game was really getting to him. "I don't want e-everyone to be uneasy around me."

"And why are you telling me all this?" Anata questioned as her disorienting eyes stared down at him, not looking particularly suspicious or annoyed… just curious.

"Because out of everyone here… I think you were the f-first to outright say you don't trust anyone and didn't care what they thought. In fact you're still sticking it alone right now. So… I figure you might understand w-what's happening to me; why I feel so… uneasy?"

Anata's gaze lingered before she closed her eyes, thoughtfully going over her own concerns before seemingly deciding to speak. "If the game is making you feel uneasy… that's a good thing."

Prince blinked at that. "H-Huh?"

"Seeing as you're actually thinking things over, keep what I said in mind before and you'll understand why I said that. People can still be putting on performances here, so it's good you're keeping some cards close to your chest. If the others being all happy and working together makes you feel like you should be too… then join them, sure. But there isn't a rulebook saying you need to force yourself to be honest and vulnerable all the time. If anything the rules discourage that here."

Hearing what Anata truly thought both fascinated Prince… and unnerved him a little. "Y-You really think like that?"

"I'm just telling you why you might be feeling uneasy, like you asked." Anata crossed her arms, not looking too affected. "You feel like you need to be honest, but internally you don't want to be… either because you're scared of hurting the others feelings, or you're scared it'll make them see you differently. But I'll say this: feelings shouldn't matter in this game. Just tell them or don't… it's up to what you want."

To tell or not to tell. His nightmare and Alexander's encounter plagued his mind… but why didn't he want to tell anyone? It was ironically for both not wanting to worry everyone… and for his own benefit.

That idea hurt him a little, it shouldn't have, but it did. How selfish of it was him to think this way?

"Come on, Koji and Hania probably are causing havoc in that room..." Anata commented as she gestured for Prince to enter before her.

"O-Oh! Right, yeah..." Prince jumped when called on, but still didn't feel compelled to venture in the room. "B-But before I go in… can I say something to help you out, since you helped me a little?"

The storyteller sighed. "Shoot, I'm all ears while you have me."

That was enough. Prince knew after this he probably wouldn't see her for a while, so he should at least make this count. "You're right, I am feeling uneasy… but I still want to trust people, so e-even if you think people are pretending to be... you know, nicer than they are, at least try and also see the people who are genuinely being friendly. There's people who might prove you wrong…"

"...really?" Anata muttered, looking unconvinced.

"Yeah, and you can see for yourself. We're having dinner later in the dining room, it'd be really nice if you could attend with everyone..."

"Asking me that, of all people?" Anata questioned, "I thought I told you before, I don't work well with crowds."

"That's okay, you can stop by for a bit, that's all."

Anata didn't say anything to his words at first, before eventually shrugging, "Maybe."

Prince took that as a small victory before heading into the room, his thoughts swirling over his own uneasiness… and small hope that Anata maybe would listen to the invitation.

But now came more pressing things... now came time to investigate heaven.

---

When Anata described the room as being 'empty'... Prince expected something bare… like a room with basic furniture, or even just an unfinished place. You know… something normal.

He hadn't expected it to mean a large fancy bedroom that was bathed in pure white.

For a place called "The Angel Room"... Prince felt it was more akin to a queen's chambers rather than a religious place. The room had glimmering white wallpaper etched with jewels on it. The wallpaper went up to the white ceiling, which had the design of the moon on it. The carpeted floor was... shocker… done in white… matching in color with the large queen sized bed, pillows, and curtains all around.

Basically… one spill of any kind of drink and Prince was certain the decorator would throw a fit… although the layers of dust around didn't really help the case for whoever cleaned the place.

"W-Woah…" Prince murmured in awe, unable to take his eyes away from the bewildering space. "I can barely see with how bright it is in here. It's like the exact opposite of the demon room… it's just… normal here."

"Demon room?" Anata murmured, confused. "Are you talking about the room with the red walls and monolith?"

Prince nodded. "Yeah that one! B-But in that room at least it was like… a p-proper room with stuff in it. Are we invading Empress's personal quarters?" He couldn't help but shiver at the idea… wondering if they went to another dimension away from the manor.

"Maybe we are." Anata only shrugged at his statement. "It shouldn't be a problem, she invited everyone here to search around and talk to her anyway."

And they indeed were. Hania and Koji's presence allowed the only splash of color and life to exist inside the space as they both searched around/

"How can this be called an 'Angel Room' when there's literally nothing here?" Koji grumbled to Hania, unimpressed by the lack of clues and the surplus of dust. "It's just a dusty bedroom. If I wanted to take a nap, I would've just stayed in my room…"

The game designer didn't respond, her attention solely focused on the air and dust around them. It looked like Koji tried not to let her dismissal get to him as he noticed Anata and Prince also studying the area. "Hey, Anata."

"Present."

Koji rolled his eyes at that. "You said this room was empty, but it's clearly a bedroom. Why lie?"

"I didn't lie." Anata shrugged. "I just figure it's empty since this bedroom looks pretty normal, aside from the bland color choice, nothing's out of place… so I'm just expecting what's about to happen."

"That what? W-We won't find anything?" Prince butted in nervously.

"Yep." Seems Anata didn't hold back her blunt truths.

Koji didn't look all too pleased at the idea as he crossed his arms, "ugh we waited for who knows how long to come into a room that basically has nothing! What… is this room where we get to see Empress just snoozing all day?"

"M-Maybe?" Prince tried to alleviate the tension with a laugh, but no one joined. Ouch. "U-Um… anyway, i-it's strange she's not even here though…" He continued with an awkward blush. "If this is her… room… and she invited us over the announcements… is she out somewhere in the manor? If s-she is out… I r-really hope we don't dirty the place up before she gets back…"

Koji paused at that, looking amused. "Well just… try not to spill anything." That was brilliant advice. "Besides, it doesn't matter, I think this place feels untouched with all this dust everywhere… like limbo… neither heaven nor the underworld."

"Limbo? It's a bedroom." Anata flatly pointed out.

"...I'm just saying what I personally think!" Koji really couldn't catch a break around here. "And you said it was empty so you have no room to talk-!"

"Quiet." Surprisingly, Hania of all people silenced the room as she pushed ahead, her eyes wide. "Do you hear that?"

"...what the silence?" Koji deadpanned, peeved at being interrupted yet again.

Hania rolled her eyes at the comment in a shockingly effective way, Prince figured she was probably taking notes from Amelie and Xiuying in that department. "No. Just listen."

Everyone quieted down, and with a careful ear, Prince tried to listen to whatever Hania was sensing. That's when he caught it... a soft... almost echoey voice, humming something. The melodic tune entranced Prince into relaxation, but despite that he knew something was seriously wrong to be hearing such a voice after the long silence.

"A song?" Anata theorized after a bit. Hania nodded to her guess.

"So someone's s-singing…?" Prince's eyes darted around the void as he gulped. "But who?" However he didn't need to answer that… for even if he couldn't see her…

…he knew she was here.

"...Prince…"

At hearing his name he stiffened. Empress' voice was unbelievably sharp this time around… like a knife slicing through the air. It reminded him far too much of his dream for Prince to even make a peep at being called on. The group around him similarly paled at hearing Empress's voice.

"...Anata… Noshi…"

"That woman's in my head, just like last time…" Anata whispered aloud to herself, though Prince caught her confusion as she narrowed her eyes.

"...Hania… Shah…"

Hania turned a bit green, clutching her arms from the sound. "Oh… still not gonna get used to that."

"...Koji… Yabusaki…" Empress's voice lingered on all of the names as an eerie sigh came after. "So you four… were the first ones to… enter… the Angel Room. How… curious…"

Koji seemed to be the least shaken out of all of them, but his expression was strained as he was trying to keep calm as he stepped forward. "Where are you hiding?" he spoke up, at least managing to do a good job to sound brave unlike the rest of them. "Trying to hide behind the veil of dark magic isn't going to last long you know? You should show yourself… n-now…" He muttered the last part.

But it seemed Empress obliged to his request, as suddenly the room shifted and waned, as if collapsing in on itself before Empress appeared. Unseen dust circled around and formed her ghostly blue gown, outlining her tall form as the particles around made her take shape. The dress flowed upwards and hung elegantly from her now visible shoulders, aligning smoothly to her neck and face as her lifeless expression revealed itself from the fallen dust.

It wasn't exactly like the teleporting that Alexander did… but the clear transfomration from dust… to body… actually unerved Prince more than that. To not be there one second, and then suddenly take shape from the particles around… it felt like Empress could be anywhere… and everywhere.

Whether or not she knew the effect she had on Prince, she didn't show it as she eerily spoke, "Welcome to the Angel Room… my domain… in the manor. Please… make yourself comfortable… this room exists for… your personal… use, after all…"

…Prince wasn't even sure if he could make himself comfortable right now. All he could even manage to do was shift his weight uneasily as he stared off to the side. Both Koji and Anata kept standing as well, at least able to keep eye contact with Empress (even though her bandages made it so they couldn't see her eyes).

Hania though wasted no time in relaxing as she sat on a white cushioned chair in the room, deciding interestingly to speak up first. "So… you answer questions?"

"That's… correct." Empress breathed out. "My purpose… here… is to aid… with… any questions… or problems you… may have… during your stay… here. Although… I must tell you now… for useless questions… such as escape… there is no such thing here. You will… remain here… for all eternity… unless one of… you decides to… kill…"

Prince's heart sank upon hearing that. "Are y-you sure there isn't a single way out of here? I know what you just said but… d-don't you think this whole game is crazy? Why n-not let us leave? Why are s-some of us… here?"

Empress didn't bother to give a response to that, forcing a tense silence in the room. To think they really had to follow such a sick game to leave… such a thing was impossible for Prince to consider, but the fact there were no means to escape agitated his doubt even more.

"So much for being an informer…" Anata gestured the comment to Hania who looked annoyed. "Can't even tell us where an exit is…"

"So what?" Koji butted in, his words steady. "She has to say there isn't one obviously… but there's probably one place they've left open by accident."

"Really?" Hania murmured, looking unsure. "...wouldn't we have found something?"

Koji struggled to fix up his jacket as she said that, cooling himself as he prepared to speak. "W-Whatever… that doesn't matter." He continued, managing to point a look at Empress. "So if you can't answer 'pointless questions' like that… what can you answer?"

"Anything… regarding… the game. For example… the… rules. Potential plans for… murder. Even… personal questions regarding… this mansion, though… I suspect… not all… of you… are here for those… questions. In fact… some of you have different… ideas… in mind. You… that came to… learn… about… Light Energy… yes?"

Interestingly, Anata went sour at this remark. "Light energy? Do you mean… the magic here? That whole thing sounds silly honestly. Maybe someone like Koji would wanna learn but I'm here for something tangible."

Koji froze up and scoffed with an almost defensive sound. "Obviously I don't wanna learn it, who do you take me for?" He brushed part of his red bangs up as he muttered. "It's just with what we've seen… might as well be open to every possibility. Besides, we've got a spirit from the underworld speaking to us, that counts for evidence right?"

"T-That is true…" Prince also was curious, considering the strange things they'd seen so far and Empress's presence at all. "If we can't find a way out of here with E-Empress… we might as well get info about the magic here… at least for the group, right?"

Hania was quiet for a time, but she eventually nodded her head. "Sure… I just wanna hear about it…"

"Same here," Koji gave the subtlest of a smirk as he stared at Anata, looking a bit bashful now that Prince and Hania were on his side.

The storyteller only sighed at this, most likely annoyed they were pursuing this line of thought. "Fine, I'm outnumbered on this. So how do these… magic tricks work?"

Empress's eerie breath stopped for a second, her gaze cold at the comment. "It was no trick… magic… does indeed… exist. Especially here. So I'll tell you everything… right here and now."

"Everything…?" Prince murmured, his curiosity growing as the space became colder. "Well for s-starters… what does the magic even do? What is it?"

…

"What… do you… think… magic… is?"

…

"H-Huh?" Prince sputtered. He didn't anticipate his question to be answered like that… and yet Empress seemed rather serious in her wish to know their feelings.

Anata though looked annoyed as she rubbed her eyes, "Answering a question with another question? How vague."

"You're telling me… that gives us nothing to work with." Koji muttered before he closed his eyes in thought. "But… hm… what magic is to me…?" Prince noticed the undertaker struggled to stay silent for a moment, his stoic gaze flickering to something of actual… serenity as he lightly smirked. "It's a natural force, taking the forms of many things… especially in regards to the underworld. No matter what path we seek, the ending of our lives leads to the end point of death… and whether we go to heaven or hell is a product of both our choices… and the magic that exists. I know then, that magic… is a force of the underworld, of the hidden side of the planet we never get to see! Because-!"

His ramble was cut short once realized what he was saying. "Because… either way magic is definitely a natural force that can carry people through to the afterlife. That's what my line of work entails anyway."

Prince's lightly chuckled at Koji's passionate ramble, but when it came time for him to speak, he also became awkward in exchange. "I don't… exactly k-know my own feelings about magic… but…" Prince thought hard on everything he'd seen, and his heart both grew warm over the idea of its existence… and troubled over remembering some of the pain it could cause. "I think it's… to me anyway… something beautifully dangerous. It can do a lot… yeah? So… I think it should be handled carefully."

He noticed Hania adjusting her round glasses, figuring out her own perspective as she softly answered. "I'm not sure of my feelings regarding magic… I just wanna see it again… learn about it maybe."

All eyes turned to Anata then, with the storyteller rolling her eyes. "If you want my honest opinion, magic doesn't exist." Prince widened his eyes over the storyteller's opinion, especially given the profession. She didn't say much else after that to explain her reasoning, but he couldn't help but feel the statement sounded bizarre coming from her.

Empress didn't speak after the fact, instead her eerie flickered across the group, looking rather… thoughtful. Perhaps that was just wishful thinking on Prince's end… but he could've sensed a shift in the room, one that made him feel safer.

"Your views… on magic… are uniquely your own…" Empress spoke up, her hands put together praying as a blue light emitted from them. "Some of you say… magic is devoid of anything and everything, the only presence in this world is you. Others may say… it is a fantasy to toy with, a delusional reality."

She took a heavy breath… and then spoke as the glow of her flowing hair grew overwhelmingly bright.

"But magic is… as natural as a waltz in a ballroom. The movement of the body… the clarity of the mind for your partner's needs. Think of each motion of your dance as its own spell. One foot to the next, shifting seamlessly with your partner to make the imaginary dance a reality. With your own movement... you create the sequence with the next step… repeating it over and over and over and over again… for all eternity in that blissful moment."

"With each breath, with each touch, the world falls away, and yet you never forget your presence. In that moment with your partner… you both make the necessary sacrifices to accommodate the needs for the dance. You sacrifice a step here… a breath there… to enjoy the moment. And in that magical instance when everything comes together, you complete it with a bow… and that's when the spell finally stops… for the world returns back to its status quo…"

"This is what Light energy is… the presence of life in devoid spaces… and the ability to use… that life… for a beautiful dance… such as magic. In a sequence of movements… you utilize your own energy in the physical space. What you once saw before as impossible now has life… and energy. But you… still feel a lingering presence of death… for every movement requires a sacrifice… to make the dance work."

Prince stood still at the explanation as he closed his eyes and felt his skin go cold. He didn't quite understand what Empress was getting at… especially with the 'dancing' part… but he did indeed feel the presence of… what he assumed was energy… crawling along his mind… "So… is this magic… l-like the ability to manipulate… things?"

"But... what kind of things?" Hania asked quietly, her eyes unsure.

"Right, how does this stuff work exactly?" Koji continued the line of questions with narrow eyes. "Is it similar to dark magic, where a sacrifice is usually required?"

"I d-don't know if I'm comfortable sacrificing anything t-though…" Prince muttered, a little concerned by what was being said.

Koji caught onto the concern and wearily cringed. "N-No I meant like… something of equal trade, nothing physical. I meant more of an object or-"

"You are exactly right Koji.." Empress hummed in thought as she listened to the questions, and then continued to speak. "Light energy… is this 'dark magic' you keep talking about… and it has the ability to manipulate the reality around you… using a sacrifice of energy as a source. Think of it in terms of this killing game… in order to leave… you must sacrifice another life… for your own. That's the trade off… for Light energy…"

"O-Oh, I didn't want to bring up such a disgraceful idea though." Koji looked annoyed at what was being said.

"So you have to kill someone for it to work?" Anata bluntly spoke, her eyes sour at the idea.

"But of course…" Empress said quietly as she looked up. "Though it's not the only way to achieve the ability. In order to use magic… or Light energy… you must take a fragment of energy from another person… or yourself… and use it to combine a will of your own."

"Wait… so you don't have to kill s-someone?" Prince instantly sighed with relief, hoping to avoid that topic.

"It would be much stronger to sacrifice the fragment of someone else… but yes, you can use Light energy without taking a life, by sacrificing your own mind and body." After giving it some thought, Empress continued. "Imagine solving a problem… on a test. Your brain makes adjustments to recount a specific memory to achieve the answer. By using the exertion of your mental fortitude… you are 'sacrificing' a small piece of your energy to find the correct answer. Depending on how smart you are… this may be easier or harder… but it is very weak… as it only bubbles in one answer. So if you say… cheated off another student's test… you'd be 'sacrificing' their energy to bubble in every answer, no matter if they were right or wrong."

"Hmmm…" Hania started to mumble to herself, though Prince overheard some of the theorizing. "So… if you don't want to cheat… you can answer the questions by studying… but it takes a mental and physical toll on you... as opposed to cheating which is easy. Is that it?"

Prince spoke up at the implication. "So… it sounds l-like then we all have the ability to try it out-"

"Not quite." Empress interrupted. "There are some forms of energy that are… difficult to process and sacrifice. For example… a weak body can never run… the same as too how a shriveled brain can never think. There are aspects of individuals that make it difficult to achieve certain forms of energy… and if that fragment of energy can't be sacrificed… it can't be achieved."

"So?" Anata grumbled. "Get to the point."

"I'm saying for this sacrifice of energy, depending on what you manipulate, it can fall into two categories…" Empress mumbled. "Solar Energy and Lunar energy."

"Solar energy is a physical sacrifice of the body… by performing physical feats and sacrificing one's body… you can achieve mastery over said body. Think… athletic feats. This can allow teleportation, a stronger body, or tethering the physicality of the world to a object."

"So muscle heads like Tadatake…?" Koji flatly brought up.

"Sounds like you're jealous." Anata pointed out.

"Lunar energy is a mental sacrifice of the self… by performing mental feats and solving taxing problems… one could achieve mastery over the mental and perceptive image. Think… illusions. This can allow hallucinations, a smarter brain, … or even… mental control over another being."

"Mental control…?" Hania murmured, her eyes flickering with a bit of distaste. "Could that be why we don't remember coming here?"

Prince stayed silent at this. If someone were to sacrifice part of their mental ability… did that explain what was happening with his memories? But he didn't feel like he could do magic, so just what did he sacrifice… if he even did so willingly himself? hat if it was someone else.

"In summary… both abilities of magic require a sacrifice of energy… either of your own or of someone else's accord." Empress mumbled. "Once that's done… the possibilities of what spells and magic you can perform are limitless… for the most part."

"That can't be all there is to it." Hania suddenly spoke up, her eyes worried. "Magic has stricter rules… doesn't it? It's not just a stupid dance… there's systems to follow-"

"Isn't magic itself… breaking the laws of reality?" Empress said quietly, and for a second Prince could almost see twitch at the corners of her mouth, as if she was fighting to keep her composure over something. "Nothing in life… nothing-" she repeated "-comes without sacrifice. To use the magic here… you must accept that."

"Then how did Alexander do that rose trick at the start?" Anata questioned, raising an eyebrow. "What did he sacrifice to defy gravity with that candle wax?"

Prince paled at his train of thought. Alexander seemed to naturally be in tune with the magic here… from teleporting… to transforming objects… and he didn't look like the type to sacrifice something of his own being so…

…could it be that he sacrificed someone to do all those tricks?

In that instance, the ghostly woman twisted an amused smile, a chill running through the room as she spoke. "Think of it… like this. Flowers… are just as alive… and as beautiful… as humans. Thus… what Alexander did… was a small fraction… of what he was willing… to sacrifice for the trick…"

"He sacrificed… the flower?" Prince finally spoke. From what he remembered, the wax turned into a flower though. "But, it changed form f-from the wax. How did a flower come from that?"

"The flower… was already dead wasn't it?" Koji suddenly remarked, seeming to figure it out. "Alexander just put it back together from the candles in the room… since he originally turned the 'sacrificed' flower into them. And to even do that… he used a prewritten spell that could allow objects to change forms…?"

"Seems you… understood the fastest of them all." Empress praised, although her tone was anything but cheery. "By 'sacrificing' the life form of the flower… he originally turned it… into the candles you saw in the dining room. Then when you arrived… he simply retrieved what he sacrificed from the candles… back into the flower. That was… a one time trick he could… nothing too complex. But for… greater feats of magic… sacrificing flowers won't cut it. You'd have to sacrifice parts of yourself… or of someone else to achieve… mastery… like Alexander did."

A shiver went down Prince's spine at that. No matter how alluring the idea of magic was here… Prince could never justify using it now… especially if it meant harboring such intent. "That's… t-too cruel." He managed to sputter out, finding his own voice to speak on such concerns. "To sacrifice someone… or even yourself to do magic… that's not what it should be…"

"How innocent…" Empress thought aloud, her head tilting in adoration as her form darkened. "I'm certain in time… that tune of yours will change. Besides… your sacrifice can be as small as you want it to be. You can still enjoy… the magic here without the threat of a major sacrifice. However, to kill a human… is a greater sin than killing… a flower. So hell… will look upon you in favor… reward you accordingly. Some people… some monsters… are capable of making that sacrifice more than others."

The group of kids stood stunned over Empress's words, uneasily looking at both her and each other.

Koji appeared unaffected on the surface, but there was a small and uneasy shift in his posture as he messed with his earrings, as if thinking too hard on the idea was a little more than he bargained for.

Hania remained with the same worried look, only worsened by her disappointment by what she was hearing. Prince wasn't sure if she was annoyed over the lack of proper rules… or the idea that to even practice the magic one had to get rid of something.

Anata looked indifferent over the ordeal… and was eventually the first to speak out of the group, her words cold to the suggestion. "I think… I'll pass on that then. If the magic here has such intense requirements… I'm afraid the side effects aren't worth it."

Empress didn't express any concern over the storyteller, only crossing her arms in disinterest. "Fine… it's not like you… believe… in magic anyway… right?" Something about that seemed to irk Anata a bit. "As for… the rest of you? What do… you intend… to do? I can explain specific spells for you… to try right now… or would you rather leave?"

"I'll slide on this as well." Koji muttered. "It's not like I was ever interested anyway. I just wanted information from you."

Hania looked unsure. "Well… I might stay."

"W-Wait you're gonna listen to her Hania?" Koji stammered. Prince was inclined to agree with him, how could the fantasy developer want to stay?

Hania didn't speak at first, looking bothered by the questions, but she eventually relented. "I… want to learn about it. We waited long enough… why waste the opportunity? If the magic… if it even is that… can be understood… we could prevent anyone from being idiots with it in the future. Can't you see… a few people fooling around with this?"

Prince paused. It was true that a few of the people here were unpredictable, but as for using something so dangerous?

"You wouldn't use it for yourself?" Anata questioned, her eyes narrowed. At this, Hania only shook her head no. It seemed that was all it took to convince Anata who shrugged. "Fine then. But if you don't report to everyone what you learned they'll see you as suspicious you know?"

"You're one to talk…" Hania had a bit of bite to her as she also seemed miffed by the storyteller's words. "What happened to that speech yesterday… that 'anyone could be acting'?"

"That's why I'm going to do a solo activity, by reading in the study." Anata revealed. "I'm only suggesting something that'll help you personally in the long run. I'm gonna do my own thing for now." And with that the storyteller left in a hurry, not even bothering to say goodbye.

Prince's heart sank at this, but he couldn't worry on her for long as Empress gave a small and chilling sigh. "These may be your thoughts today… but if you wanted specific examples… this room is always open… and I'll be waiting here for your questions… always."

"Fine by us. Let's go, Prince." In a surprising twist, Koji stormed away, actually dragging Prince along. He didn't complain too much as he watched Hania give a small wave inside the Angel room.

But right as Prince stepped out through the door, he actually stopped, his eyes widening as he realized he did have one more question.

"W-Wait!" He pulled away from Koji, glancing back at Empress wearily through the doorway. "With this energy... Lunar Energy to be specific… you said it requires a sacrifice of the mind right? I-Is that what happened to me… with my memory? Did someone sacrifice that... did they take it from me?"

Empress didn't say a word, her gaze distant despite staring right at Prince.

His heart raced. Why wasn't she talking now? After all that, was he not going to get a straight answer? "P-Please, if there's a way for me to know about it, I want to-"

"Yes."

Prince's breath stopped at that, his eyes widened at what Empress just said. "W-Wait… yes? Then w-what does that mean-?!"

The Angel Room door slammed closed, sealing both Prince's questions… and hope from the chamber.

---

Light Energy (Magic)

Simplified ~ By Alexander ;P

Light Energy is a magical force within the Golden Manor. Its abilities vary in power (depending on sacrifice) but in general can cast spells.

Solar Energy is the "physical magic type". Mostly compared to fighting and physical sensations. (Strength, Speed, etc.) Mastery can allow you to potentially become physically unstoppable. Requires a "physical" sacrifice.

Lunar Energy is the "mental magic type". Mostly compared to intelligence and manipulation. (Perception, Memory, etc.) Mastery can allow you to potentially change the space around you. Required a "mental" sacrifice.

In order to cast a spell of either type one must require a sacrifice of their own energy (life force) or that of another guest. The bigger the sacrifice the stronger the spell. Killing a guest is the best way to achieve this, but smaller sacrifices are sufficient… the spells just won't be as strong.

Specific spells can be found in the library or by conversing with Empress.

Fair Warning - After using a spell, it's likely the side effects will be severe. Read carefully, my dear guests~

---

Prince stood outside the door to the Angel Room, reading the 'simplified version of Light Energy from his watch… something that Alexander so… "graciously…" provided. It seemed to automatically be added once you entered the Angel Room once.

But even as he read it… millions of thoughts swirled in his head.

He still hadn't gotten over the idea of magic's existence, or even began to comprehend the extent of its capabilities. It seemed like it could do anything… but in order to do that… one had to sacrifice something. Why did it have to be that way? How could something so beautiful have to be used in such a way?

And… how did that relate to his memory being taken away? Empress confirmed it herself… it wasn't an accident… it was actually worse than that. From both Alexander's words this morning… to what Empress said now…

…it was intentional.

He didn't have any time to figure out his concern as Koji looked at the 'simplified' version as well, muttering to himself. "So it's just a big joke to these people… so much for learning anything there. The dark arts have a better ruleset than that gibberish going on. I know I won't be trying to use that, and you definitely shouldn't either."

"H-Hey, it's okay y-you don't have to convince me." Prince confessed as he mumbled uneasily, his thoughts being torn up over the revelation he faced. "I get w-why you're so upset… we didn't really learn anything useful there."

"Right?!" Koji emphasized in agreement, his usual stoic face breaking as he did indeed have more to say on it. "That magic is the reason all of us don't remember coming here. And to top it all off I mean, now we have two different types of magic to worry about. Any single person in this game could try to use it and target me."

Hearing that, Prince softened and tried to rebuild his empathy for the day. Although he was still anxious over everything, he wanted to be there for Koji, that's what he felt. "I don't… t-think you need to worry about the game Koji." He said genuinely. "Sure there's a lot t-to be scared of but-"

"But what…?" Koji stood rigidly, clutching his jacket as he laughed uneasily. "That Angel Room… it was my only shot of getting out of here… of getting some kind of advantage to continue my work of preserving people's final choice on how they leave this world… but now such an idea is pointless if it means sacrificing something. The natural will of decay eventually claims us all… but to cut that life off from someone… that's sacrilege. How we leave our mark on this earthly soil is the final decision we make before some of us descend into the underworld. So how could I… the carrier of that final wish, take that choice away from someone?"

Prince faltered a bit at the undertaker's ramble, not expecting him to open up like that. In a brief instance, though, Koji's dark aura remained… there was something more for Prince to dig into, someone who he could see as… almost scared… just like him. And yet, despite the usual bravado he put on, his desire and talent as the Grand Undertaker briefly shined through.

With that… Prince, softly smiled, his own worry about his memory fading for a second. "That's… really admirable of you."

"Wait, h-huh?" Koji sputtered, looking surprised as he recomposed himself. "What's admirable? I mean, I'm someone to be admired for sure but… um… " Koji stopped himself, looking confused.

"You might make it sound like you're upset over not getting any info… b-but the real reason as to why is because… well… you want to continue your work, right?" Prince still had no clue what it meant being an undertaker, but from what he heard it seemed… pretty important, at least to Koji. "That's why… I think it's really admirable of you. You wish to… keep practicing your work… in order to give people the departure they deserve. You're like everyone here because of that… being a Grand Student and all… I think… that's very selfless…"

Koji gave a brief pause, his pale look almost lighting up even more… before he turned stoic again, betraying the moment, "I… I don't know what you're talking about. My work only exists as an extension of the natural powers of this world, which means… obviously I need to look out for myself… or else everything about the world's nature would go out of balance."

"Out of b-balance?" Prince had to at least smile from that, not in a mocking way, but in a genuinely amused moment. "That does sound dangerous. Your work i-is that important?"

"O-Of course it! I'm responsible for ensuring a safe passage for those who depart this realm." Koji's red eyes stared off, his expression strained despite his clear enjoyment over the subject. "No one gets to decide how they die, but they do get to decide aspects of their departure… and they leave that all to me. They entrust their deaths… into my hands, so naturally… It's important. Can't really do that when you're here, right? Surrounded by… wackos who don't even understand how sacred the act of living is…"

The undertaker's usual cold look started to fade, his once sturdy posture stiffening into something that was clearly distressed by what was happening. Prince lost his amusement then and understandingly quieted the nature of the game… the fear made sense, he felt it too. Perhaps they were somewhat alike in that regard.

But despite that, Prince still listened, and then spoke quietly. "It doesn't s-sound easy… having that much responsibility in your hands… over how someone leaves." He stared at his own hands and cringed. "I don't know if I could ever do that."

"Well it's not for everyone," Koji mumbled, "there are souls who don't even like to think about it, but the act of our departure is still important, so someone has to do it. Although I uh… am surprised you've taken such a interest despite your uh… lack of any knowledge."

"Maybe I'm interested because… I really do wanna l-learn." Prince spoke softly. "We talked about it last time and you said you wanted me to listen."

"You… You were serious about listening to me before?"

Prince affirmed that with a nod of his head, "yeah I was serious back then… but then the announcement happened and everything got messy, and then you stormed off with Anata… but I really d-did wanna learn more about not only your job, but you… and maybe if I did think about it like you said I should… I could b-be a little braver. So, if you're willing to teach me-"

"Teach you?" Koji sputtered, interrupting Prince as his narrow eyes surprisingly widened. "You'd let me teach you?!"

"Yeah… I'd be honored to learn more." Prince spoke softly, feeling as if he was briefly shaping back to his kind self. "I-I know this game is scary but perhaps if I learned how this stuff worked… if it came down to it I could help you. Besides you sound super passionate about this so I-I'd like to help if I can."

"So… you weren't joking before…" Koji murmured to himself, fiddling with his black coat before nervously laughing. "Well it seems you've got an eye for talent. Naturally my trade is rather taboo for most civilians, but since you're… desperate to learn under me, I'll let you in on my some… secrets… eventually. But make no mistake… this doesn't mean I trust you. I'll just uh… be preparing your lessons."

Prince nodded in understanding. He got to see a tiny bit about Koji's passion for his craft and his uneasy personality. But despite that Prince was happy to learn something new, and the conversation even helped… at least lessen his worry about his memory.

"I know that…" Prince nodded. "And I understand it's hard to trust anyone now. But maybe at least come over for dinner later, you can get something to eat."

"Dinner… n-no, I'd rather not." Koji muttered, though he sounded unconvinced of that. "I'm going to my room… so don't expect me at dinner. But also don't forget that promise you made… I will teach you more… since you're so curious… but that's it!"

And with that Koji walked away, his stoic expression breaking into one of uncertainty. Although Prince knew the undertaker was struggling he hoped the conversation allowed him to get rid of some stress.

But as for Prince's stress he still didn't have much idea on what to do next. He learned of the magic here briefly… but its properties were still unknown, and it tied into his own memory which always hurt him to think about. Perhaps he needed to find a way to put those properties to use. Not by actually using the magic but by understanding what Empress meant by looking for "fragments of energy".

'Just what gives off the impression of… 'energy' here?' Prince thought to himself, 'if it's a lifeforce then… should I be looking for instances of… life?'

As he thought that… it felt like he got his answer in the form of a sudden… tug in his heart. His eyes widened as the tug grew stronger and stronger, his feet almost slipping as he felt himself being pulled into the direction of the art gallery against his will. His mind shook, unsure of what exactly was happening… but he didn't resist as suddenly, the feeling in his heart grew warm and… almost familiar.

…Like a… memory of something was pulling him somewhere.

Wanting to grip that feeling of his memory and never let it go, Prince let go of his anxiety as he followed the intense sensation, letting it lead him to the art gallery door that he pushed without hesitation.

Such an act should've scared him… and yet at that moment… he had never felt so sure of something in his life, that behind that door… he'd meet an old friend.

…Just why did he feel that?

---

The art gallery appeared as it did last time, nothing was destroyed or out of place. If anything the paintings and artifacts now seemed to glow with an almost magical aura, the images shifting to showcase ethereal moving pictures.

Given that to be the case, Prince nervously wondered where that strange feeling came from… until he felt a tug forward and had his eyes trained onto a glass box of some kind. Tailing the feeling, he found two figures chatting around the box, mainly Luna and Stefano.

The two instantly noticed him, the exorcist being the first to wave to Prince. "Ah, hello Prince." Stefano said calmly, his eyes appearing slightly stressed as he smiled. "Are you okay? You look… slightly out of it."

"J-Just fine…" Prince murmured as he stumbled over to whatever item they were staring at. "What are you l-looking at?" He didn't realize it, but his heart was pounding in anticipation, still unsure as to why his body was tingling so hard at whatever was in there.

"Take a look yourself." Luna stepped her tall body out of the way so Prince could get a look. His skin grew cold, and his body shook as she backed away. Trying to ignore the intense feeling stabbing him everywhere, Prince peered into the box, his eyes straining as he noted that inside the glass box was a gleaming crown.

Staring at the box, Prince's eyes sparkled with a bit of nostalgia as his heart finally slowed down… it seemed important but there was no label on the box or any text to tell where it had been from. It was simply gold, with three jewels that were green, blue, and red on it. It looked far fancier than most of the things in the art gallery, and yet it had a yellow sticker on the top of the box saying 'SOLD'.

Seeing that, the intense feeling vanished, as if he had found what had caused him so much excitement… and yet he was confused as to why he even felt that excitement at all. It felt like he was dragged in here by some unseen force, and yet when he stumbled in and saw the cause of his excitement… he only saw a normal crown.

"Wow, i-it's beautiful." Prince still managed to appreciate how stunning it was as he breathed out quietly, rejoining the other two as he composed himself. "I guess the art gallery really houses some impressive things… but… why does it say 'sold' on top…?"

"That's what we were discussing…" Luna murmured, her cyan eyes blinking tiredly. "When I ventured in here, Stefano was observing it alone… but he asked me to join him. He said that Hagoromo noticed it right away when they both came here earlier… but we have no idea what it's for… or if it was here last time."

Stefano shook his head, still staring concerningly at Prince. "No, I recall both the crown and that sticker weren't here last time I'm sure. Hagoromo can testify to that too… although she isn't here right now to do so…" Stefano sighed quietly and stared off.

Prince was scared to ask why, but he felt like he had to. "Why? W-What happened?"

Stefano suddenly let out a light laugh at that, the kind that sprinkled out flowingly like feathers. "She tasked herself with getting Omen away from this crown."

Prince instinctively froze at the mention of the Enforcer, horrifically remembering what he did to Lukas and him the last time he was in the same room. However, there was no sense of fear from Stefano, even if his expression was hardened… as if more annoyed than scared. But Prince only stared in shock, did he not realize what he just said?

"O-Omen was in here?" Prince managed to blurt out nervously, almost tracing the bruises under his sweater. "W-Why? Is Hagoromo okay? If she f-fights him she might b-break a rule you know?"

"She's not… that… crazy, she'll be fine," Stefano reassured, although his eyes did flicker with anxiety, "the thing is… when me and Momo came here, this crown was being guarded by Omen. We figured it'd be pretty important because of that... but… Momo being herself… thought it was a good idea to distract the Enforcer so I could investigate the item alone. She got him riled up, and he gave chase to her."

"And as that happened I walked in," Luna stepped in, bowing slightly to confirm the events. "I didn't realize you were so confident in Hagoromo's abilities to defend against Omen. He's… a wild card isn't he?" Prince nodded frantically in agreement with her. Even being in the same room as the guy could've been a disaster.

Stefano was totally unaffected by that remark, breathing in with an almost practiced timing. "It seems reckless, and trust me I know it is… but… Momo will not be harmed by Omen."

Prince raised his eyebrows at this, wearily optimistic over the claim. "You really have t-that much faith in her?"

"Think of it this way," Stefano suggested, "Momo is the Grand Demonologist… just as I am the Grand Exorcist. She understands how to deal with demons like Omen… it's her passion. I know because…" He paused, appearing to debate something before relenting, "I know because I've seen what her talent is capable of."

"I believe she beat him in a race to." Luna added, also looking undisturbed by the event.

Stefano chuckled nervously. "Yes that to." He recomposed himself and sighed bitterly. "I know it'll be hard to take my word for it, but trust me… as long as she doesn't break any rules, she'll be fine. She definitely can distract someone like Omen, she's certainly done it before."

Given the information Prince had, he almost didn't believe it. Omen was so strong and scary, not even Lukas could defend against him. But with the sincerity that Stefano spoke of her it almost sounded as if he was talking from experience. Prince knew the duo seemed to know each other, but now it felt as if it was confirmed in some capacity...

…and if that was the case, then Prince felt that he shouldn't doubt Hagoromo. Someone as experienced as her, the Grand Demonologist, shouldn't be underestimated. So even if he was definitely worried about her wellbeing, he tried to place his faith in Stefano.

"O-Okay, if she's distracting him from guarding the crown… did you find anything from it?" Prince wearily asked.

"Sadly no, which is why I'm… irritated, to say the least." Stefano tried to smile then, but it didn't suit the annoyed tone he spoke at all, which he sounded ashamed of. "It only had the 'sold' label on it and seems to be a normal crown. We only investigated it because it piqued Hagoromo's curiosity. She said it 'called to her'."

"Called t-to her?" Prince murmured as her heart felt a sight tug to the object once again. "It… kinda felt that way to me to… but more like I felt d-drawn to it."

Luna hummed nearby, her sleepy voice breaking the serious conversation. "Interesting. Both you and Hagoromo have such natural talent. It's a shame then this crown seems bare on the surface… perhaps Omen was guarding it for personal reasons?"

"W-We can only theorize I suppose." Prince sighed. Whatever feeling he had to the crown before was lost anyway, but it still saddened him he didn't figure out why he felt that way before.

Stefano noticed this, and stepped up with a friendly look. "Hm… enough about Omen and this crown… I was curious more about you actually, Prince. The last time I properly talked with you it had been before you and that Enforcer had crossed paths. I was wondering, how exactly are you holding up from that time?"

At the reminder, Prince deflated a bit and nervously laughed, trying to ignore the bruises under his sweater. "I'm holding u-up. The bruises don't hurt."

"Have you gone to Kanon yet about your injuries?" Luna mumbled, joining in on the topic. "I hear that Lukas hasn't either… so there's no need to be ashamed if you haven't yet."

"Y-Yeah, I haven't gone yet…" Prince revealed. He did feel admittedly a tiny bit silly for NOT having gone yet. "I just wanted to investigate the m-magic here first… to contribute for everyone. Or wait… sorry, d-do you not believe in that stuff like Kanon does?" He asked politely. He couldn't recall how many times he had seen her face fuming every time the idea was brought up… and now he supposed he could add Anata to the pile of non believers… not that anything was wrong with that.

"Oh no, I've known magic exists for a long time now," Stefano nodded confidently, his smile growing.

Prince's eyes widened at this a bit… but Luna seemed especially reassured hearing the exorcist, "As do I. Magic is undoubtedly real… we've seen it for ourselves here… as have I outside here as well. Although anyone can choose to believe what they desire, there are still many out there who understand the importance of its existence. I'm personally glad you are one of them, Stefano."

"But of course." Stefano seemed relieved that Luna also didn't think weirdly of it. "As an exorcist, I've encountered many supernatural phenomena myself, some even more… dangerous… than this place. However, to see such a consistent use of it here makes me somewhat curious. Especially from Omen and Empress… their constant use of it reminds me of spirits that I used to exorcise…"

"C-Could you exorcise them?" Prince's breath hitched as he asked the question.

"Perhaps…" Stefano thought hard on the idea before shrugging. "However I lack the necessary information to know of their spiritual properties… and I doubt I could contain them like normal spirits. There's something off about them… and their leader here. I wonder what the magic requires of them?"

In that moment, Empress' words of 'sacrifice' flooded Prince's mind, causing him to squirm a bit, "Well… I uh…" He was about to tell them what he had heard from the Angel Room… but he was more or less stunted as he rubbed his arm.

"Something the matter?" Luna asked, her soft words carrying a hint of reassurance.

Hearing that, Prince decided he shouldn't keep everything to himself and he thankfully nodded. "I'm fine… I just… I went to the Angel Room… w-where Empress talked about the magic here."

Luna perked up slightly. "So you did go to that room. Was Hania there?"

"S-She was." Prince nodded quietly. "Anata and Koji were there too, actually, but they left right after. W-What we heard from Empress was concerning. For the magic here she said it requires… some sort of s-sacrifice… to u-use it… either an internal one or external from someone… e-else."

"Sacrifice…?" Stefano's eyes darkened at this, holding his cross necklace as he stared off to the side.

"Hm…" Luna didn't look as worried over the idea, but still contemplated it as she held onto her staff and adjusted her baby pink and blue colored robe. "So they have the magic playing into the game itself… although if suicide isn't considered a sacrifice… that's interesting."

Prince stood uneasily at their silence after the fact, his eyes slightly uncertain. "So… in that c-case we probably shouldn't use it at a-all, right?"

"Perhaps we shouldn't… but…" Stefano recovered from his dark look and nodded quietly to himself, as if reassuring his own worries. "I wouldn't take anything Empress or any of them say at face value. You've seen their… attempts at the announcements here, and the one this morning was especially troubling-" He closed his eyes then and shook his head "-truly they don't seem capable of giving us accurate information… let alone basic understanding of the rules here."

Stefano's usually calm composure almost looked annoyed as he spoke, throwing Prince for a loop. "W-Well… you're right about that. Either way, I'll be sure to tell everyone else in the dining room about i-it when we have dinner. I don't exactly trust E-Empress that much."

"Considering she's our kidnapper… I wouldn't either." Stefano muttered, his calm tone returning as he brushed his golden hair away. "That's why it's so important we all stick together. I hope Koji and Anata realize that… as well as Albion and Uta after the stunt they pulled. We all have to be knowledgeable about the same things here so we can help each other."

Prince tried to give off an agreeing smile to that, but the memory of both the nightmare and his hidden encounter with Alexander instantly dampened his mood. How could he agree with Stefano on everyone working together… when he couldn't tell the group of Alexander's ominous visit?

His brief worry was cut away instantly once he noticed Luna's cyan eyes staring intently at Prince. "You seem a bit better than you were this morning, Prince. Did you have time to recover from your dream?"

"M-My dream?" He was surprised Luna still remembered such a small thing from the morning. "Ah… y-yeah I did a little bit." He lied. It wasn't even a dream… he hadn't told anyone about the nightmare he had.

"Ah, you had a dream as well?" Stefano looked delightfully surprised as he listened in the conversation. "It seems everyone I meet had one last night… although dreams are naturally pretty common. I had one myself."

"Really?" Prince's worry lessened at the mention of everyone having a dream. So not only did Luna and Amaya have one… but Koji and Stefano as well. "That's interesting… I-I wonder what everyone dreamed about…"

"As do I…" Luna joined in, looking especially at peace with the conversation. "Dreams can be both chaotic… yet a place of refuge from the mortal realm. It's a tie between the natural and the supernatural… the bridge that links us with our inner selves and the godly out there. Perhaps it would do us some good then to share what we all witnessed?"

"I'd be willing to share." Stefano innocently smiled, looking more than happy to change the subject to something more casual. "And you Prince?"

Prince gulped at the attention on him, but then remembered he was talking to Luna and Stefano of all people. If anyone could understand his problems… it probably could've been them… and they would've been supportive over it. And so… he nodded quietly to the idea. "O-Okay… so what did you guys dream about?"

"If you both want, I can share first to ease into the discussion." Luna smiled softly as she recounted her dream. Her usual tired aura seemed to shift as she leaned against her cult-like staff, looking almost ethereal as her orange hair glowed in the light. "When I delved into my slumber last night… my dream took on the form of my hometown which was coated in a soft blanket of snow. I have spoken of this before, but I'm not native to Japan, but rather Canada… so I noticed it was my home right away. From the black spruces along the road to the chirping robin's on their branches… all of it pointed toward being my hometown. I walked along the cracked road… each step I took left its mark in the snow as I was led to where my cult started and continues to grow. The Bearers of Infinity waited there for me… my followers… who still uphold the message of the Eternal One in my absence. They looked at peace… knowing that even if physically I wasn't there… they could feel my presence as the high priestess. And so I watched over their fun with the Eternal One by my side… reassuring them that everything would be okay."

Prince paused in awe over the way Luna spoke of her dream… almost felt as if it was real in some capacity. And she looked so happy as she spoke, such a sight warmed his heart to see.

"That sounds absolutely beautiful, Luna." Stefano's genuine fascination sparkled across his own eyes, speaking first in a light tone as he fiddled with his cross necklace. "The fact you can remember your dream in such detail too is impressive. How exactly do you manage it?"

"I recount all of them in a dream journal naturally." Luna continued, actually holding out a small book that was the same baby pink and blue color as her robe, with a bizarre symbol in the front. "It spans from the very first dream I ever had of the Eternal One… to the present day. I suggest you both take up one as well… you'll remember much more in the process."

Stefano looked intrigued over the book. "I just might take you up on that idea. I always end up forgetting most dreams I have, but I could keep a routine of understanding them now if I had some sort of book."

Prince nodded along as well… although he didn't need a journal to remember every part of his rather traumatizing nightmare. Sadly he could recount it with great detail… though he was nervous to try.

"I'm glad you might." Luna didn't notice Prince's worry this time, as she seemed assured of the exorcist's commitment to her idea. "It really is a useful tool to understand and analyze a dream. For example, with the dream I just shared… it came to me at a time where I was separated from my group. The Bearers of Infinity are like my family… so to be separated from them was initially worrying, even if I know everything is in place back home. I believe that's why the Eternal One showed me that they are alright… to ease my mind with the message that they could breathe easy without me."

"M-Message…?" Prince snapped out of his trance of worry and curiously looked at the cult leader. "Y-You believe the dreams you have are from… your god?" Luna gave a small nod to this.

"But of course. The Eternal One always appears to me in my dreams... combining my consciousness with a fraction of its own so our thoughts become one. In one second, we can have a full conversation, and in one night, we can have a whole lifetime worth of interactions. It always leaves me messages in these moments… some sign that things will be okay."

Luna paused then and thought for a second, her cyan eyes glimmering as she hesitantly spoke with an almost… genuine relief. "I believe that dream tonight was one from the Eternal One… to tell me to not be scared of the game. So I tell you this as well… so you all don't have to be worried either."

To not be scared of the game… Prince's heart fluttered at that. This whole time he's been thinking of not being scared… but deep down he knew he still was. He probably would be for a long time in fact. But if he could try to be honest for everyone's sake… even just for Luna's sake he figured he genuinely would now. Funnily enough, perhaps those words she spoke and how she so naturally connected with her god made her the Grand Cult Leader.

"And what about your dream Prince…?" This time Stefano suddenly spoke up, unaware of the anxiety his comment initially caused for Prince. Luna also seemed curious as she waited for him to speak.

"A-Ah my dream…?" Prince almost didn't share at that moment… but after hearing Luna's dream… he might as well be honest, like he promised to himself. "If I'm going to be honest with you both… I…" He squeezed his eyes shut. It hurt to remember it… but he had to tell them now before he held onto it for too long. "-but I actually had something of a nightmare." He slowly explained truthfully.

"A nightmare…" Luna repeated, her voice lowering the slightest bit. "So that's why you were distant with Amaya and I this morning… and tried to brush past your dream as… 'unimportant'."

Stefano followed along as well with a concerned look as he crossed his arms. "Interesting… I noticed that during breakfast your expression seemed extremely troubled. So that's why…" Prince was surprised at how observant the exorcist was if he remembered that from breakfast. "Although I'm sure you probably forgot most of the details, it might do some good to get what you remember off your chest."

"O-Oh… I can't really remember it too well." That was a lie, but he didn't wish to unload all of that onto poor Stefano, so he only gave small bread crumbs, "all I can recall really is that I-I couldn't move in it for a while, and it seemed like I had trouble b-breathing. The whole thing was s-super freaky." Prince omitted the part where he was stabbed to death. Something like that would definitely kill the mood.

Luna and Stefano gave each other a glance before the exorcist spoke up. "Hmmmm… I understand now," Stefano stated as he took Prince's hand, "this description you speak of, it points to you suffering from sleep paralysis, which could be an early stage of demonic possession. We may very well have an evil spirit attaching itself to you."

"Demonic… p-possession?" Prince stammered, "w-wow… I thought it was just a messed up nightmare, but if it's possible there's a demon causing it, now I'm not so sure w-what to believe."

"Do not fear, Prince," Stefano smiled, "I come from Vatican City which deals with problems like this all the time. As long as you come to me, I'll make short work of this paralysis you face."

"Vatican City…" Luna suddenly muttered, looking intrigued. "I believe that's it in Italy, correct? In which case we both are foreigners to Grandview. How impressive that your work can translate to keeping others' dreams sacred."

Stefano confirmed Luna's deduction, seemingly proud of it. "That is true, I already told this to Prince, but I am well known as a high-ranking exorcist there, so I'm often required to be available at all times to deal with any demonic entities that decide to cross paths with righteous souls. In one moment, I could be performing a ritual to cast out an evil spirit, and the next, I'll be called to investigate a haunted ruin and cleanse the area of any impure influences, lest it be taken over and completely dirtied by the roaming souls.

'He deals with all of those issues everyday…?' Prince nervously thought. Most of the stuff he was hearing sounded a bit intense… despite Stefano explaining it all in a calm and polite manner. Somehow that was both impressive, and slightly worrying for Prince to think about it.

"S-Sounds like a lot of work for anyone else…" Prince stammered, barely keeping up with him, "but… I suppose being the Grand Exorcist means you're not usually affected by that stuff. In fact… I r-remember you even said yesterday after the announcement how you stay out late sometimes to do exorcisms, and yet you don't even l-look tired at all." He recalled in a nervous sweat.

"But of course, I must stay out late whenever I can," Stefano informed politely, "while I exorcise just as many demons during the day as I do at night, the dark hours provide a closer, more intimate connection between the mortal world and spirit world. I encounter much more entities that way. My father taught me that when I was younger."

"Wait, your dad is also an exorcist?" Prince leaned forward with immense interest, the encounter with Alexander and the dream he had was already fading from his mind, "that's super cool you two share a profession. Do you guys like- bust demons t-together?"

Stefano turned to silence then and looked away with a soft smile, "when I was young and inexperienced, yes," he fondly recalled, "my mother also helped as well… but eventually, I was experienced enough to go off alone, and I didn't need them to accompany me anymore."

"So your family supports your work…" Luna eased into the conversation at the mention of his family, looking… almost faintly sad at the idea. "It's lovely that they believe in you enough to let you work on your own… that they believe in your work at all."

"It is, isn't it…?" Stefano looked quiet as he stared off at the many paintings in the gallery. "Back then I wanted to go off and do what they do as soon as possible. But now that I speak of them…" He paused, reflecting somewhat before continuing."It's quite an interesting coincidence, I just so happened to dream of them myself tonight."

At the talk of family, Prince also quieted down. "Your dream was of your family…?"

"It was a short and simple one, but I did," Stefano revealed, "it was a very… peaceful dream. My family and I… were together for a brief moment. But it ended just as quickly as it started, and I woke up with a small headache." He was still holding a small smile, but his eyes staring glumly about, "you know it's almost amusing. Dreams are often so easy to forget, but this one… I remembered in perfect clarity. My mother and father… my home. We were around the table, discussing our plans for the day and all our work."

Stefano glanced away and bitterly smiled. "I wonder if I'll ever have it again in the future."

Prince could only stand there at the mention of his family… of the work they did together. It was a moment like this that really hit Prince hard… it shouldn't have… but it did. The fact that Luna and Stefano could so casually talk about their lives before this… of their followers and family. And what did Prince have to show for his dream?

A nightmare about the game. No family… not even a wacky dream. Just… a nightmare.

But Prince pushed the depressing thought aside. It hurt that he couldn't relate to their struggle in that way… but he still struggled with the duo, and decided to look on the bright side, "it d-did sound like a very nice dream Stefano… and if it's of your family, I'm sure you'll have it again. It sounds like you care for them a lot if you followed in their footsteps."

"I do…" He said, and his bright look returned, "and Prince I do hope you eventually have a good dream of your own. If you ever so decide it, I will help in any way I can with my talent, and everyone else as well."

"As will I." Luna smiled softly as she stood tall with her staff, dwarfing both Prince and Stefano funnily enough. "If we work together, things will turn out better. I know that… for it is the Eternal One's hope that we will… as well as my own. So let's do our best."

Prince smiled and nodded happily in acceptance. As long as they worked together, everything would be better, he was sure of it.

The peaceful moment though was undercut by a SLAMMING door to the art gallery that made the three of them jump. Hagoromo had raced back into the room with a manic grin as she stood proudly, posing for… no one in particular it seemed. "I HAVE ARRIVED! I AM THE WINNER! That makes it three races I've won!"

"Speak of the devil to interrupt a quiet moment." Stefano wearily rubbed his forehead at the gesture, but Prince saw such antics and almost let out a laugh.

Why he would laugh he had no idea, maybe he was relieved Hagoromo wasn't punished over breaking any rules… as she seemed no worse for wear.

"Don't be such a debbie-downer Alex!" Hagoromo sang loudly, grinning with childlike amusement. "This is a celebration of my victory! And I see that Prince and Luna have joined the crowd as well! Don't make me look bad in front of potential fans!"

Prince chuckled at Hagoromo's antics, appreciating them with the knowledge of what she did earlier. "G-Good to see you, Hagoromo… ah… are you okay? Omen didn't hurt you right?" Luna also looked curious about this and tilted her head.

"I'm more than okay, I'm hellishly radiant!" Hagoromo winked, her fangs showing off as she smirked. "You're just in time to see the recurring champion, the all-mighty, and amazingly beautiful Hagoromo beat the dastardly samurai in an epic race! He didn't even stand a chance with me… again!"

"You raced against Omen… again?" Luna mumbled.

"And y-you won?! A-Again?" Prince's heart flickered with awe. "W-Wait wasn't she supposed to be distracting him for the crown?"

Stefano shifted uneasily, unsure how to even speak on a matter he didn't know.

"I'll take it from here!" Hagoromo jumped in front of Stefano, towering over him as she recounted the tale. "So me and Alex here were exploring, and I was trying to beat Tadatake to find something during my investigation! But then he had to go help with the dinner plans so I just resigned to looking for something cool with Alex! Then we got here and saw that crown box over there! Omen was guarding it, so I tried to get a peek! He got rreeeeaaaallll mad though, and started chasing me! Thankfully I'm a fast runner, so I raced him around three times for Stefanoto to investigate the crown! Hehe!"

"W-Well we know about the distracting part, Stefano told us," Prince sighed, "b-but we didn't know you were racing Omen as a distraction. H-How in the world did you beat him?"

"Look at these gloriously long legs!" Hagoromo posed and showed off a strut as if catwalking on the runway. "How could I not beat him!?"

Suddenly Stefano spoke up, his eyes narrow. "I believe Prince meant… how did you beat him without him going berserk?"

"Oh? That makes more sense!" Hagaromo shrugged and leaned against the box containing the crown from earlier. "He quit halfway into the race~ Said something about checking out the ballroom area~ Although I'm not sure what that's all about, but I bid him farewell after I teased him some more. He didn't look too pleased."

"I bet…" Prince could only imagine the fury on that samurai's face. "I w-wonder what he's doing in the ballroom… I-I haven't explored that place yet."

"Neither has anyone else." Luna spoke with a slight yawn to her voice. "The door accessing the place is locked, both Amaya and I have tried it this morning with little success."

"I suppose it's locked for us but not for our captors." Stefano mumbled as he turned his attention to Hagoromo. "At least you're okay after that… race… and you didn't provoke his wrath anymore. As for the crown he was guarding, I apologize Momo, it appears nothing out of the ordinary."

"Oh boo, and here I thought it was a breakthrough…" Hagoromo pouted as she scratched her wild white hair. "Oh well, now I get to chat with you my lovely dolls! How are you doing on this fine day?"

Prince's anxiety drifted away, relieved that Omen wasn't anywhere near her anymore, "we're doing okay for the most part. We were just talking about some dreams we actually had." He turned to find Stefano nodding along with him, though he seemed preoccupied once again with the crown in the glass box.

"Ohoho~ Dreams you say?" Hagoromo gave off a cat-like grin as she danced her way to the group. "I had one too, just last night! I would love to share it myself, but all of you look tuckered out already. What a shame, it involved death defying stunts and explosions!"

"I would be more than willing to oblige in hearing your dream." Luna instantly clapped her pale hands together, as if signaling the attention of the demonologist. "We still have some time before dinner… so there's no need to hold back on anything."

Hagoromo looked ready to ramble about it, but suddenly Stefano stepped in with a forced smile. "Actually… Hagoromo, can I talk to you alone for one moment?" The switch from his calm persona was once again bewildering for Prince… but he couldn't focus on it for long as Stefano surprisingly dragged the tall demonologist away.

"I'll take a quick recess then~" Hagoromo giggled, not looking phased as she was being pulled away. "Sayanora, little Prince! Bye-Bye mystic Luna! Oh-! Before I forget, tell Tadatake I totally won in finding the coolest thing ever in my investigation!"

With that Luna and Prince were alone after the high energy of the demonologist faded away. The Art Gallery grew quiet, with the paintings and artifacts shimmering around them… and the crown in the glass box seemingly glowing.

"T-Those two really are polar opposites," Prince managed to speak, feeling a bit better after the conversation earlier. "How do you think S-Stefano does it?"

Luna thought for a moment before softly chuckling to herself. "Possibly… with a lot of sleep and a good support system at home." She murmured the last bit as she adjusted her tall cult hat. "But strange attracts strange… and both of them appear connected by fate in that regard. It's nice there are still people out there who accept the supernatural. Although… some are still not as open as I'd like."

"Not as open…?" Prince looked concerned, his eyes widening. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… everyone can choose to believe how they walk on this mortal plane." Luna clarified. "But some forever hold their beliefs close to their chest, never able to express it in the ways they want for fear of being seen as… weird. I've noticed that here with some people. A rare few like Hagoromo expresses herself without worry… but some like… you… still seemed held back by fear."

At the call out Prince stiffened, but understood exactly what Luna meant. He still was held back by things, but… "I guess I-I'm just constantly nervous," he said, "but I don't wanna b-be that way. I've just been rethinking some things."

"Whatever those things are… I do hope you still are able to open up to a few people here, especially people like Stefano and Amaya." Luna seemed genuine in her suggestion as she looked on with a faint look of appreciation. "Both of them sincerely have an open view of the world… Amaya especially. Not just because I'm close with her… but it seems you are as well. Cherish that bond during your time here, and perhaps… you won't be so scared during this game."

Cherishing the bonds he has… Prince thought of it with a flutter in his chest. Should he open up more? No… he had to, he already made a commitment after hearing both Machi and Amaya before. So… he stood a bit taller and smiled. "Thanks Luna… I'll… try and focus on what you said and maybe be more honest with her."

"Good…" Luna looked relieved and looked on. "Then I'll let you go and do that, I believe she's setting up for dinner so… you can tell her then."

During dinner… Prince agreed that felt that would be a good time for him to open up. "Alright then, I will. Thank you for the talk Luna… g-goodbye!"

Luna sat alone, absently staring off at the large paintings around. Prince took that as a sign to finally go… though his heart did linger on the conversation he just had. So much had happened today, he needed to cherish all of it… both the bonds and memories just like Luna said.

---

Prince left the art gallery then, both confused… and slightly happy about the events that took place. It calmed his heart after what happened in the Angel Room. Luna and Stefano both had such a kind presence that helped soothe Prince's soul… and Hagoromo's energy was always good for a laugh.

…but he still was unsure about that crown he felt earlier… and now his worries focused on where Omen could've been. The two thoughts clashed against each other as he staggered forward, trying to ignore the weird sensation behind both of them. If anything it just made him feel sluggish to think at this rate…

…so he tried not to think at all… about his memory… the crown… or his anxiety. Instead he held onto Stefano's dream… Luna's words… and the promise he made to Koji. That could help push him through.

Thankfully then a loud laugh snapped Prince out of his thoughts as he noticed a group of people walking by, their smiles and excitement evident in the way they carried themselves. The group consisted of Aimi and Fudo who were carrying a few small kitchen supplies, followed by Tadatake who was holding a bunch of boxes way too big for any normal person to carry… and finally Amaya who was ensuring the boxes didn't fall on the hockey player.

"Please be careful, Brother." Amaya kept pace behind the energetic teen, her worry evident as she reached out to steady the boxes despite her marionette being in her hands. "One wrong step and these boxes could fall and hurt you! Might I at least take a few off your hands?"

"Nah, don't worry I got it under control!" Tadatake's grip hardened on the boxes, not really struggling at all as he grinned. "Just clear a path for me would you, little man?"

He called out to Fudo, who was more than happy to oblige. "Got it! Minnie and I are on patrol! You're not gonna hit into anything!" Fudo was bouncing backwards, seemingly knowing when to turn. Minnie was atop his hat, acting like air traffic control as she flagged the group on where to go.

Aimi watched them all with a faint smile, but then noticed Prince, who she waved to. "A-Ah, hello Prince!" She smiled sweetly, a genuine look of ease crossing her green eyes.

Prince grew at peace seeing the four and waved as well. "H-Hey Aimi! Hello guys, a-are you preparing for dinner later?" He knew they were, but might as well be formal.

"That we are, Brother Prince!" Amaya took a second to glance at Prince happily before noticing Tadatake wobble. "P-Please let me just take a few off your plate! We need to ensure you get there safely!"

Tadatake relented at least then, looking a tad embarrassed. "U-Usually my performance would be better if I could see where I was stomping, my bad. But hey, did you see that Shortcake? I was carrying like, four whole boxes! If you need someone to be a personal forklift, I'm your guy for the job!"

"If they fell on you would you still be proud of that job?" Fudo deadpanned in the distance.

Aimi giggled at both Tadatake's and Fudo's banter, looking at ease around them. "I-Impressive, I'll let you know if I n-need help. H-How about you Prince? How have you been since t-this morning? F-Feeling better?"

Prince managed to nod, ignoring the bad that happened as he witnessed the four's antics. "I'm doing b-better. Breakfast cheered me up… and I talked with Luna, Hagoromo, and Stefano earlier." He didn't include Koji in the figure since he figured the Undertaker wouldn't want his name brought up. "Where did you guys get all this? Do you guys need help carrying it?"

"I believe we are set for now it seems." Amaya revealed happily as she took one of the boxes. "As for where we got these, we collected some tools from the kitchen in our rooms, I believe each one is equipped with a personal kitchen. Some of them had supplies and ingredients we'd need for the feast that the main kitchen didn't supply, so we went to collect them."

"Oh yeah, my room h-has a personal kitchen too… so I guess all of them do." Prince couldn't help but think of how they were designed for the extended stay they were supposed to have. "Well, if you need help in the future… or when the event starts, I'd be willing to do whatever you need."

Amaya glanced at Prince then, her gaze softening. "Of course Prince, if you could… ask anyone you come across if they'll attend the dinner, that would be appreciated." The small task gave Prince a sense of purpose as he nodded.

"Sure, you need a lot of people for the event?" Prince asked.

"Yeah, we're trying to get the attendance through the roof on this one!" Tadatake grinned, "it's sort of fifty/fifty if everyone shows up or not, but we wanna try and at least make it better than breakfast. We were missing four people then. So we're looking for an even twenty!"

"Well some people we could do without…" Fudo added. Minnie squeaked in agreement.

Amaya shook her head disapprovingly. "Now now, let's not talk that way about our brothers and sisters, everyone deserves the chance to attend. This is an occasion for everyone to feel comfortable, so we can trust each other."

Prince felt his heart crack a bit at that, but nodded along with Amaya's claim. "R-Right, so I'll do what I can to invite people… I promise." He wondered right then if he could open up like Luna said he should… but he had decided during dinner he would. After all, why bother her when she was working so hard for everyone.

Amaya looked very happy at this and softly waved goodbye. "Thank you so much, Brother Prince. We will see you at dinner then, and hopefully everything will be peaceful from here on out." The marionette maker waved goodbye, taking her one box from Tadatake. "Let us make haste everyone, Jun is waiting patiently for our return in the kitchen."

"Alright, three boxes is more manageable…" Tadatake breathed a sigh of relief and carried the remaining large supplies. "But hey lemme know if it's too much, okay Dolly!?" Seems that was Tadatake's nickname for Amaya… Prince wondered then how Hagoromo would react to that given she calls everyone 'doll'.

"Wait for meeee!" Fudo ran back in front of the group, with Minnie squeaking along.

Aimi however stood quietly behind the group and glanced at Prince, her lips pressed together as if she was holding back on saying something. Sensing her nervousness, Prince tried to quell his own anxiety and speak politely to her.

"I-Is something wrong?" He asked in what he hoped was a friendly enough tone.

Aimi twiddled with her apron before replying, "D-Did you… um… leave the Angel Room with Koji and Anata earlier?"

Prince froze at this, but knew there was no real point to lie. So he quietly nodded. Aimi continued to occupy herself with her apron, looking unsure as she continued.

"...I saw them walking out earlier," she revealed shyly, "and Fudo said… you and Koji were talking before we bumped into each other. I wanted to talk to you about them then… b-but you rushed to the art gallery so we left you alone the first time. I assume you were with them earlier, in that room… but you didn't bring them up in who you t-talked to…"

Prince felt caught in the small omission and uneasily nodded, hoping to assure Aimi. "N-No I met with them both. I didn't bring them up because… um… I didn't thnk they'd want to be brought up. Plus with them being in the Angel Room… and all."

Aimi didn't look to annoyed as she perked up, her small posture shifting in hope. "D-Did you get to talk to them about the dinner?"

"Y-You just want to know about them?" He was a bit surprised that the pastry chef seemed more focused on the two loners than the room of magic. That actually made Prince feel less worried. "I-I did talk to them about it. They both um… might think about attending."

Aimi lit up at that. "O-Oh, that's nice! I was hoping that… um… they could join everyone for dinner so… I'm glad you talked to them. If they… don't attend, I'd understand… but it'd be nice if we can get along. Can you… ask more people to attend too? Like Amaya asked?"

"Of course." Prince was determined with that role at least. "I'll let everyone know that I come across."

"Thank you!" Aimi beamed a little and picked up her kitchen accessories, preparing to hurry off to the group. "I'll do my best when y-you guys arrive, prepare for… a sweet dessert after the dinner!" With that, Aimi rushed off.

The small moment lingered with Prince and made his heart feel a bit warm. Despite his memory and the Angel Room moments ago… he still was at least approached with kindness by a few of the people here. For that he was grateful and would do what he could to help out… even if he was nervous.

With that, he turned to keep investigating, and maybe find people to invite to the dinner. But before he could, he suddenly saw a certain swordsman in the distance, guarding the weapons room with an intense look. However he was not alone, as Xiuying was bickering over something with him, her accented yellow eyes sharply studying the swordsman's equally offended look.

It was the total opposite vibe of the group he bumped into prior… instead of smiles and laughter… this was more of… an aggressive shouting match.

"If you have a problem with how we do things to keep people like you safe, then take your complaints elsewhere. I don't have time to deal with you." Uta spoke with a poised intent of closing the conversation as he turned his back on the fabric maker.

"Oh my, aren't you a real piece of work!" Xiuying flicked a finger away, as if snapping to accent her irritated point. "And how can I expect you and your lackeys to not use these weapons for themselves? I can hardly trust something like that while I investigate."

Yikes, it seemed like things were getting bad. Prince tried to will himself to intervene given the conversation he just had, but before he could, Uta's purple eye suddenly glared at him. Seems the swordsman noticed him.

Xiuying noticed this too and looked over, naturally being the first to say something. "Hmph, looks like we got an audience. And what exactly are you looking at, hm? Got something to say, little prince?"

Prince blushed at the comment and averted his gaze, "I… I just finished investigating around and heard arguing. A-Are you guys okay?"

Xiuying huffed and stared at Uta. "Okay? How could I be 'okay' when deadly weaponry is the presence of two of the most famed weapon handlers? Not only are they both aggressively irritating, but they also decided to lock this place down in the middle of the night while the rest of us were sleeping. How suspicious…"

"So let me guess… you think someone as over privileged as you is qualified to safeguard these weapons?" Uta muttered.

"Please," Xiuying rolled her eyes, "I wouldn't be caught dead holding those things in there, I just don't think you should be locking us out and claiming that we should trust you not to do anything. Besides you say I'm 'over privileged' and yet told someone like Amelie about this little plan before any of us."

"Correction, Lukas told her… and it was the only way for her to shut up and leave us alone last night." Uta now looked especially annoyed. "Either way, it doesn't matter what you say, we're done here, aren't we?" He said, turning his back on the fabric maker.

"Of all the most annoying-!" Xiuying puffed. "We're not done here! I was going to investigate this place, and now I can't even do that with the threat of your control here looming over me."

"Are y-you nervous, Xiuying?" Prince said softly, noticing the girl's rather weary expression as she shouted at Uta.

Xiuying paused at her reaction and quickly composed herself, still shooting a glare at the swordsman. "Not nervous, just disappointed at the lack of communication here. I know not everyone can be as intelligent as I, but I would expect basic understanding from the supposed BEST of Grandview."

Uta didn't bother to respond to her insult, but Prince felt a tinge of understanding. He wondered how someone like Machi… the BEST mediator… would handle this dispute. If only he had a good talent like her, maybe he could fix this.

However after a bit of time, he realized the lack of talent precisely could be what helps him. Slowly, he spoke up. "M-Maybe I can investigate the weapons room for you, Xiuying."

Xiuying appeared surprised by Prince's assertion, though Uta only managed an intrigued glance over and scoffed. "And why would I let you in?"

"Because…. I'm weak." His shoulders slumped as he spoke, confessing to his innate frailness in comparison to the others. "I don't have a talent… and I'm indecisive like you said. So unlike Xiuying, you know I wouldn't be able to do anything if you kept an eye on me… and then I could tell Xiuying that there isn't anything dangerous in the room."

Xiuying almost bursted out laughing then, though her ability to compose herself was impeccable as her smirk formed into a wry frown. "You're suggesting you investigate this room in my stead? Hm, almost like a personal servant… perhaps not the worst idea."

Prince wouldn't exactly say that but he had to convince the two of them. "Y-Yeah, like that, but I wouldn't try anything… I'll just look around and Uta can watch to make sure I don't take anything." Prince then looked at Uta and mustered up the smallest bit of truth he could. "I mean… you saw during breakfast how everyone is weary about you guys holding down this room. Isn't that a g-good compromise so I can reassure everyone?"

As he listed the reasons, he hoped they'd be enough to convince the swordsman who seemed to listen on with disinterest. If Prince could convince him to investigate, he could satisfy his own curiosity about the room… as well as reassure Xiuying and Uta.

Out of everyone though, Prince figured he'd be shut out instantly by the swordsman, just like last time. However, Uta gave a pause, his single eye scanning Prince's features intently before it seemed the tension in his shoulders faded away.

"True, out of everyone… aside from perhaps that whiny chef and assistant, you're probably one of the more nonthreatening participants in this game."

"So this boy was right, despite me declaring this nonsense game to be a joke… you figure me as a threat among you?" Xiuying scoffed, her brow furrowed as she glared at the swordsman.

"Hardly." Uta clarified. "You're just one of the many annoyances that can go on and do something stupid. Everyone here fits that mark though, so you're not special. Although some are more… sane… than others."

Prince actually felt his heart flutter hearing that. "Does that mean, you think… I'm not that if you agree with my idea?"

"No, you are." Uta set the record straight. "You're just more manageable." Prince deflated at this but noticed the swordsman finally relent as he turned to the door. "But fine I'll agree. If it makes this group stop complaining over my plan for this room, then fine. Investigate, and then leave… I'll be watching you the whole time."

A wave of relief went into Prince's heart as he smiled. Even if Uta's choice words were… harsh, the swordsman at least tolerated him enough to investigate the weapons room.

"Hmph, I was getting bored anyway, Uta here was really the conversationalist." Xiuying muttered before walking away, searching for better things to do. "I will investigate and try to blot this ordeal out of my mind until Prince gives me news at the dinner."

The art of sarcasm flew over Prince's head as he stared bewildered at the fabric maker's exit. At least he didn't have to ask her to attend dinner, it seemed she was already going, but he had to turn his attention to Uta who was prepping to go back into the weapon room. "A-Alright then so… guess I'll follow you and-"

"Don't touch anything in there or you'll regret it." Was all Uta said before storming into the Weapon's Room, his large cloak flowing behind him as he did so.

Prince felt the sting from the abrupt end of the conversation (one that hadn't even started properly yet) but… he did want to check on Uta anyhow… and also get his mind off the Angel Room. So, he ventured on after Uta, nervously to the weapons room. He figured it'd be a quick swing through… nothing too dangerous…

…that casual thought would be shattered, as when the door opened, to both Prince and Uta's shock… staring down at Albion was Omen… who was very much NOT in the ballroom.

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Continued in Part 2

"Devil's Horn"

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Author's Note: DON'T KILL ME FOR THE CLIFFHANGER

I know it's not that serious but, hello everyone! Good to see you again after so long. I was planning on getting this out sooner but you know how that is with me so good work on you guys for managing your expectations. You'll note already right above this Author's Note… it says… "continued in part 2"... and trust me… that's intentional cause this chapter was 26k… and I did NOT want you all to slog through that

So! I split it up!

This means you don't have to fear, the next chapter is indeed done and coming out either literally tommorow, or this week when I get time to touch it up. Characters that had no screen time or had very LITTLE screen time will definitely show up, so please don't be alarmed… your character's scenes will be coming.

I hope you did like what you got for the time being! The magic system is… introduced…? It's at least explained finally and although no one is doing magic… I hope the previous chapter's might make more sense with the context… and trust me it'll be fleshed out before the first murder a little bit better… basically you'll learn about the "specfics" soon, but for now the idea is here… I hope it makes… sense… LMAO

As for other scenes, I hope you enjoyed Koji, Luna, and Stefano. I had a blast writing their individual sections, which I guess classify as free time? You all can be the judge… but I really hope I did their characters justice… at least a little bit.

With that I hope you all enjoy, at least for now until next time which will be soon (famous last words)!

Take Care

Candlefire45