…Well dang! Hiya everyone! How's it going?

So, for those who don't know because they don't read Off the Rails… I was taking a break from Rebels. Butttttt… well… check the author's note at the end for more details!

Enjoy!

DANGANRONPA: REBELS OF PARADISE

Chapter 1 - Doubts in the Sand

Part 1

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…Heat. That was what flashed through Chiyo's mind as she slowly opened her eyes to find herself… in a bedroom? Well… bed tent seemed more like it as Chiyo noticed the tent flap in front of her. Looking around the room, Chiyo saw that the tent appeared like the bedroom she found herself waking up in. Only with a sleeping bag instead of the bunkbeds of before.

The horologist would pat herself down and start some breathing exercises before sitting down in "…Okay Chiyo. Calm down… we're… in a brand-new room… tent… thing. You got this." So, patting her cheeks a bit, she stood up… only to be scared as the tent flap opened a bit. "YIPE!"

As the horologist fell, the entering diviner would stop and as he shook his hands in an 'oh no no no' manner. "Oh my god I am so sorry! I was just worried cause the others were meeting up and we haven't seen you yet and I am so sorry…"

Looking up at Kirito, Chiyo would stand up once more, brushing herself off and giving a nervous smile. "It's okay… Kirito… right?" Receiving a nod in response, Chiyo continued. "It's okay! You were just coming to check on me? Guessing the others are already up?"

The diviner nodded as he scratched the back of his head a bit. "Yeah… and honestly…" He stopped before he sighed with a tired smile. "I think it's better if you see yourself?"

The horologist raised a confused brow as the diviner opened the tent flap to reveal… a desert. A massive desert as far as the eye can see. "…Oh. That's what you mean."

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Section 1-E – Major Room

It was jarring to say the least. She didn't understand how much Kitaiyo meant by "major rooms". Because it wasn't a simple room like before. Oh no. It was a full-on location. Desert spanned for miles… at least that what it appeared like, but the horologist could notice a cutoff point in the distance where sand hits the room's walls. …Still rather far away though.

As Chiyo exited her tent with Kirito, she stated to look at the nearby surroundings. Her tent and the other tents all seemed to be in a circle around an oasis, with the tent flaps heading outwards towards the desert. Inside the circle of tents was a campsite area that rested next to the oasis and seemed to be a relax spot. The campsite held the essentials with a campfire style kitchen, a seating area, coolers of different foods and drinks resting in the shade, and in the middle… a large sundial.

Looking out into the desert, there appeared to be three main structures around. The first was a massive pyramid near the end of the room that seemed to have two entrances. One at the bottom and one at the top… though the entrance at the top seemed to be connected to the wall itself.

The second was what appeared to be an old, abandoned city of stone. She couldn't tell much from the distance, but she could tell that there were no signs of life. The last structure was a large mountain range that appeared to have three different entrances. From the distance, Chiyo could see some sort of structure around the entrances… tombs?

Either way, it was insane to think as she looked up. A large sun was visible that almost appeared to be moving… but she could tell… it was fake. The sky as well, but it all seemed to be rather realistic.

Approaching the campsite with the other members of the Alpha group, Chiyo and Kirito sat down as Ryo approached them with two plates. "Hey you two. Prepared some breakfast for everyone." He placed the two plates in front of them with a smile. "Enjoy!"

Chiyo looked down at the unique food and shrugged as she took a bite… her eyes widened with joy. "Wow! This is really good! What is this?"

The bartender chuckled a bit at that as Alethea spoke up. "Ful Medames." The horologist turned to the travel vlogger. "A meal made with fava beans. Typically, a breakfast dish, I happen to run into it a couple times from street vendors back in Egypt. Surprised you know this dish though Ryo."

Ryo just smiled as he took a bit himself. "Well, you know why Alethea. All your tales got my wife, at the time girlfriend, bit by the traveling bug. She and I travelled a good bit over the years to different places. I learned how to cook all the dishes we tried because she fell in love with all of them. Egypt happened to be one of those places."

This caused Chiyo to stop and look at the bartender. "You're married!?" The others also held a surprised look as Ryo nodded with a big smile.

"Married and a father of an adorable little girl! Been dating for nearly ten years now, married for close to seven years, and a father for about four years.." He fiddled with the ring on his ring finger with a smile before he sighed. "And no. I'm not explaining why I am here."

Seeing the man clench his fist a bit, the others nodded as Marie stood up and clapped her hands. "Well, mes amis, I believe once we finish our meals, we need to make use of our limited time." The others nodded at the statement… they only had twelve hours to do anything before being knocked out. "Looking at the location… I think we should start with exploring the pyramid, tu n'es pas d'accord?"

Hitomi nodded as she turned to look at the pyramid. "Sounds like the right path. From our distance away, we can see that the pyramid is connected to wall. Most likely appears that our exit out of this room is through there."

After that, the eight went back to eating their meal in silence. While not apparent… there was some nervousness and worries within the group.

Cleaning up and trekking out, the alpha group found themselves walking through the hot sun as Senji groaned. "We need to better plan if we're going to be walking back and forth through this freaking desert."

A chorus of groans and nods in response echoed while JD wiped his head and looked up a bit. "The heat isn't too terrible… the issue is the lack of wind and clouds. Nothing to help combat the heat, so it's straight heat." He then stopped and groaned. "But then again… maybe no wind is for the best… sandstorms and dust devils aren't fun to deal with."

This caused Senji to deflate even more. "Greattttt… our first escape room and we're stuck in sand city, population heat, heat and more heat." However, he then stopped and looked up as his eyes widened a little bit. "Oh. We made it."

Turning forward, the group found themselves right in front of the pyramid… and found it to be massive. What seemed rather normal sized far away was well close to an eight-story building in height. What mainly caught their eyes was the door at the top, that was actually inaccessible.

The way the pyramid was set up, there was a large set up stairs that went up to halfway up the pyramid where a doorway rested. There were two pillars next to the doorway and a good story upwards, the stairs continued… so it appears as if a section of the stairs is missing.

However, their attention was taken away as the middle door opened up slowly… as a familiar fox busted out of the door and posed with grin and a strange crown on his head. "BOOM BABY!"

…Senji just yelled upwards. "THAT'S COPYRIGHTED!"

"IT'S CALLED REFERENCING YOU OFFBRAND JACK-SENJIC-EYE!" The fox yelled back as he scoffed and went to step forward… and slipped on the first step. "OW! FUCK! OW! OUCH!" The screams of pain from the fox could be heard as the fox continued to roll and tumble down the stairs… even the participants were wincing at it. "GOD WHY!? OW! SHIT! MY KIDNEY! OW! OH GOD! MY THIRD LUNG! FUUUUUCCCCCKKKKK!"

And with a thud, the fox landed face first into the sand in front of the group as he groaned in pain. Chiyo, moved over to the fox worried. "Umm… are… you alright?"

"…yeah… pain ain't a problem… … my pride though?" Picking himself up, Kitaiyo groaned as shook the sand off as he gave a deadpan look at all of them. "…That never happened. Got it?"

To which Alethea, with a deadpan stare, raised her hand with a grin... as it revealed her holding a digital camera. "Yeahhhhhh not happening."

"WHERE DID YOU EVEN GET THAT!?"

The travel vlogger shrugged. "It was still in my satchel, duh. You may have taken our phones and the like, but I still got this on me."

The fox just curled into a ball as a depressing cloud over him. "…My reputationnnnnnn…"

Hitomi just groaned and looked at the fox with a tired expression. "Can you get on with whatever reason you're here?"

"Oh! Right!" Immediately bounding up, the fox walked ahead and gave a grin. "Welcome! To the first Major Room for Team Alpha Crimson Super Cool Action Squad! The Fire-Fox Desert!" The fox then stopped and turned to the participants with a deadpan expression. "Not to be mixed up with the internet browser, Firefox. Notice the hyphen in between. Years later and copyright is still around."

The fox shook his head as he continued. "Anyways! I am here to give you the correct direction!" Kitaiyo then bounded up onto JD's shoulder and pointed to the door at the top of the pyramid. "That up there? Is the exit to the room! How you get there? It's up to you to figure out!"

…There was a moment of silence as Ryo coughed. "Umm… are you supposed to tell us that door was the exit?"

"…Not really…" The fox then flopped with over exaggerated tears streaming down onto the sand below. "But being an escape room mascot is so borrrrrriiiinnnnggggggg… I have to watch you guys and NOT DO ANYTHING! Can you believe it!?"

Chiyo sweat dropped at the sad fox and hesitantly started to pat him on the head. Though, it was a rather comedic scene as Chiyo had to get on her tippytoes, JD had to bend down slightly, and they both had to avoid the fox's tears.

After a bit of crying, the fox immediately perked up and jumped off the firefighter's shoulder. "Oh well! Guess I'll just have to pop up every now and then to bother you all! Toodles!" And in a cartoonish style, the fox ran away extremely fast, leaving a loud dust cloud that caused the alpha team to start coughing.

After the dust cloud disappeared, the group groaned and sighed as they looked at one another. Marie, realizing the awkward tension, clapped her hands and smiled. "Let us take a break for now, allons-nous?"

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It took a bit to set up, but the participants had to look around the pyramid, where they actually found a small little section with benches, coolers of drinks and snacks, and a tarp for shade. Plus, there was a little sign with a cartoon Kitaiyo face on it saying "Kitaiyo Rest Stop!".

Sitting around in a circle and enjoying some nice drinks, Marie stood up once more and clapped her hands with a smile. "Now… I believe we should passer aux choses sérieuses?" Noticing a couple of confused looks, she gained a sheepish expression. "Désolée, I am used speaking French… I said we should 'get down to business'… so, shall we?"

The others nodded as Alethea stepped up, pulling out one of her notebooks and revealed… a sketched-out map of the area so far. Kirito's eyes widened as he looked at the map. "Wait what!? When did you have time to make this?"

The travel vlogger grinned and gave a peace sign. "When I first woke up, duh. It took a bit to estimate the distances but other then that, it was all rather simple."

Marie smiled at Alethea. "Perfect!" Looking down at the map, the dressage rider pondered for a bit. "So… it appears we have three locations we need to explore?"

JD nodded and tilted his head a bit. "Hmmm… can we send each other messages?" Taking a look at their wrist devices, the answer turned out to be no. "So, we can only message and send notes to the person in the other team."

The firefighter then looked at the group and gave a serious look. "We need to keep track of the time… figure out how long we have until we're injected. So… I believe we should split up into two teams."

Everyone raised an eyebrow but motioned for the firefighter to continue. "These 'Crimson Watches' as Kitaiyo mentioned, seem to be missing key parts to them."

Chiyo nodded rapidly with puffed up cheeks and an annoyed expression. "YEAH! For a watch, it's not even a watch! There's not manner of time tracking on it, at least visible to us! So why call it a watch- oops!" She quickly covered her mouth and looked embarrassed. "I… oh my… I am so sorry!"

Everyone chuckled a bit as the horologist moaned in embarrassment. JD nodded with a smile and continued. "Exactly. They aren't watches that tell time. And yet… we have a time limit." He then motioned for Alethea to bring the notebook over, as she moved closer and pulled out a pencil for the firefighter. "We should explore two locations. One being the abandoned looking city. See if we can find any useful items… and the other should be this pyramid."

Senji leaned back in his seat and hummed to himself. "…I think I get it. We're not really exploring or trying to tackle the room."

Ryo nodded as he took a sip of his drink. "Indeed, it makes sense… we are lacking the resources to properly face the challenges ahead."

That caused the firefighter to nod. "Exactly. We need to figure out what we have and what we can do with them. So, we should try and figure out how to escape through the door at the top of the pyramid."

Marie tapped her chin and nodded with a smile. "Magnifique! So… that leaves the question… who will explore where?"

With that question in the air, the group grew silent as they pondered about it. Two groups of four… the question is who goes where.

However, the silence was broken as Hitomi raised her hand. "If I may… I believe I have two solid groups for this."

With all the eyes on her, Hitomi continued. "I believe that the group that should trek out to abandoned city should, at minimum, consist of JD, Alethea, Chiyo and Ryo." This caused the horologist's eyes to widen as the forensic accountant continued. "JD, due to his nature as a firefighter, can handle the trek as well as care for the team. Alethea has shown her mapping and investigative skills, which should help in the search for tools."

She then turned to Chiyo, who had an uncertain and curious look. "Chiyo… I doubt anyone else has knowledge on a sundial or how to properly read one. You do along with being a time nerd."

…The horologist nodded… but Chiyo looking rather deflated. She gave a soft defeated laugh. "Time nerd..."

Moving past the deflating 'time nerd', Hitomi turned to the others. "As for the fourth remaining member, I believe it should be one of the remaining. Out of them, divination and reporting are better for investigation… but bartending allows Ryo to deal with restocking and organization… which I believe would help with that group."

The bartender looked back and forth… but shrugged as he looked at the other three suggested members. "So… what do you three think?"

JD smiled and nodded. "Considering I brought up the idea in the first place, it makes sense."

Alethea shrugged and smiled. "I'm down for it. How about you Chiyo- …Chiyo?"

Turning to her, they saw a deflated Chiyo with a depressing cloud above her head with a defeated laugh. "…Time nerd… time… nerd… S-Sure thing! T-That's me! Time nerd. However I can help…" The girl seemed to deflate more and more as everyone turned to look at Hitomi.

The forensic accountant was staring as the horologist as she sweatdropped and looked at the others sheepishly… "…oops?"

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After cheering up the horologist, the four said their goodbyes and began their trek through the desert. The heat was a lot as they walked, but the group seemed rather fine. At least, JD, Alethea and Ryo were fine. Chiyo felt like dying as Alethea helped her through the trek. "Alright Chiyo… only a little longer."

The horologist groaned loudly. "I don't think I'm ever going to visit any desert after this."

Alethea laughed at that. "Fair enough. It's not the most welcoming weather around. I'm just used to the weather after my many travels."

Chiyo nodded at the travel vlogger and turned her head slightly. "Yeah… I can understand that… and I can understand JD due to being a firefighter. But…" She turned to look at Ryo who was walking casually. "…He's wearing a suit. How is he not dying?"

Ryo turned to them with a tilt of his head. "Oh? You want to know why?" He had a proud smile. "My daughter said I looked cool in a suit."

…There was a moment of silence as JD turned to him confused. "…And?"

Ryo then chuckled. "Well, that's a bit of fatherly pride. Being called cool by my daughter makes me prouder than ever." He then put his hands behind his head as he smiled. "But to be honest, I just prefer the professional look. If I have to head out, I want to look my best. So… I'm used to wearing one, even in weather like this."

JD nodded at that as he smiled. "Alright then." However, he then stopped and turned to the group. "Well… we're here."

Sure enough, they found themselves in what appeared to be a ghost town. Some buildings were still nothing but frames. Some were finished but not furbished with furniture. But overall, the long winding roads and sand dunes combined with the lack of people… made the entire city feel ominous.

However, Alethea tapped her chin before smiling. "Interesting… it has the feel of an unfinished city. As if something occurred… Such a mystery!" She went to start writing away in her notebook as she turned to the boys, slinging an arm around Chiyo's shoulders. "Well… I'm gonna look around with Chiyo. You boys stick together, alright?"

The horologist couldn't say anything as she was swiftly taken away by the excited Alethea. It wasn't until they turned the corner, the travel vlogger stopped and looked back a little sheepish. "Sorry. Get a little excited when there's mystery to be found ya know?"

Chiyo nodded with a small smile. "I get it. I'm… the same way about clocks and time… … time nerd…" However, she was stopped as she felt a light bonk as Alethea gave a stern look.

"None of that." The travel vlogger walked into a nearby building and starting shuffling things around, looking for anything that caught her eye. "Look… I can tell. Hitomi didn't mean it like that alright. She meant that you had valuable skills no one else had." Turning back to the horologist, Alethea smiled. "So, cheer up alright?"

Chiyo was silent for a moment before nodding. "Yeah… yeah! You're right!"

The travel vlogger gave a thumbs up before turning back to scavenging. "…Hey! I think I found something!" Alethea said this as she pulled out some strange looking stone tablets with runes. "Here! You hold onto some as well!"

The horologist looked at them confused but was shocked to be handed a couple. "Uh… okay?" She placed it in a pocket on her tan tool belt.

However, off in the distance, they could hear JD yell out. "HEY! Come back really quick! We found something!"

The two girls looked at one another and nodded as they exited the building and returned to the main street. After a little bit of backtracking, the two met up with the firefighter. Alethea looked at him with a raised brow. "Well… that was quick. What's up?"

The firefighter just sighed and rubbed the brim between his eyes as the two girls heard a ding noise. Turning their heads… they see Ryo walking out of a fully functional and decked out convenience store. It had the image of Kitaiyo's head on the side with the sign "Fox-Mart" in front.

It wasn't long before Alethea matched JD's expression. "…At this point I'm really questioning that fox."

Stepping up to the group, Ryo held up a small bag. "Found what we needed. Should solve our connection issues."

Chiyo looked confused as she tilted her head. "What did you find?"

The bartender smiled and pulled out a flare gun. This caused the eyes of the others to widen as he chuckled weakly. "Yeah… I know the worry. Surprisingly though, there's a lot of oddball items in there. This is the most 'weapon' like item I could find."

JD hummed. "I see… so they want us to be unconventional." Shaking his head, the firefighter looked at the others. "Alright. I know it wasn't long, but we should head back and check the time. Who knows how long we have left." He then grabbed one of the flare guns and nodded. "And then we'll put this to good use and testing it."

The three nodded and followed the firefighter out of the city. As they left… the scene shifted to black as a faint sound could be heard approaching.

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… … … Tick tock. Tick tock.

The sound of the grandfather clock echoed once more. A pair of glowing crimson eyes floating above as the grandfather clock appeared in the darkness. The clock's face slowly shifted and turned, the sunny orange side ticking over… as the clock hand moved over to the mysterious purple side.

A loud chime echoed in the darkness as the crimson eyes closed…

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And as the crimson eyes closed, a pair of azure eyes opened…

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-TO BE CONTINUED-

16/16 REMAINING

Hello everyone! VoidRebirth here!

So… uh… surprise?

It's been a while with this story! And truthfully, I didn't plan to work on this part… butttttttttt… you know how creativity is. Comes and goes like the wind.

So, what has been going on? Well, as I'm writing this part, I'm back in college! I found a program I wanted to work towards and it's going to be my main priority. However, just like with this part, I'd want to write here or there.

My focus, truthfully, is going to be Off the Rails. I want to have that story completed first before this story gets too far ya know? But… I'm not going to force myself anymore. I think the reason why I wanted to write this part/work on Chapter 1 is because… I wanted a change of pace.

So, if you see any messages about "focus on this, focus on that"? It means I have my eye on focusing on that. But my actions do not fully match my words to be honest. I'm gonna just... write whatever I feel like ya know?

Either way, we're here with the first of the two first major escape rooms! For Crimson Alpha (man part of me is wondering what I was on for these team names), it's the Fire-Fox Desert! Now, to start off (this may change as chapters progress), I plan to have three main locations per major room.

One is for items and two are for escape, with one of the two being the exit. In this case, the abandoned city is for items. Where Team CA will go to find whatever, they can find. Meanwhile, the tomb and the pyramid are for escape. However, secrets hide all over… so we'll see more as time goes on!

But… that's all for now! Until next time! See you all later!

VoidRebirth signing out!