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.

4. Silhouetted Figures (Prologue 3)

{Author's Note} Special thanks to the talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular Sempi for untangling this atrociously long chapter as my beta reader! Seriously, this chapter was such a long time in the making, but it's finally here! Eight characters will be introduced this chapter, so buckle up, and enjoy the ride!

---

Scarlet Passage Of Time

Prologue 3

---

"Hidden in the walls."

"New faces. New people. "

"Old places. Masked evil."

"The symbols sing and call."

---

Silhouette

---

Prince was initially submerged in his mind, attempting to somehow unravel his memories piece by piece as he shuffled behind the others.

This however didn't prove very successful for him, as his thoughts were repeatedly cut down by the howling snowstorm right outside. It had grown stronger during their time exploring, appearing to cast ice within the sky that rained down harshly against the windows. But this deadly rain didn't seem as dangerous to him now as it might have once before, most likely due to Machi and Fudo cheerfully discussing the matter as if it was no big deal. The younger of the pair boldly took the lead while the mediator stayed close by with a skip in her step. Prince fell a bit behind the duo, but attempted to take note of their fast paced conversation with an attentive nod every now and then.

"It's really picking up outside!" Machi laughed with a grin, her fingers grazing the windows as they walked, "I bet if you stood outside for just a few seconds you'd turn into a human sized icicle!"

"Nah, no way!" Fudo rebutted. "If you stood out there, you'd just be buried in snow from head to toe! And then turn into a snowman for sure!" He exclaimed, spreading his arms out in a goofy manner.

"Hah! If that was the case we could use your hat and scarf to decorate it!" She jokingly reached for the items, but Fudo pushed her away with a smirk.

"You wish! These are magician items only! And my Ma paid good money for these!"

"Your mother bought those clothes for you?" Prince interjected, his head greatly warming at the thought, "that's so s-sweet of her Fudo, she must care about you a lot to do something like that..."

"Well duh! She's my Ma after all." He grinned. "Aside from Minnie, she was the only one who saw my potential as the world's greatest magician! Because of that, she got these for me!" With a flair of excitement he lifted his scarf and hat and shook them brightly. Prince quietly gasped in response, as removing them made him appear a tad bit older then before.

"How touching!" The mediator smiled, closing her eyes thoughtfully, "family is definitely an important thing to remember in times like this. Close friends as well if you have them! I know I might not have gotten to where I am today without mine." She spoke longingly in speech, as if directly recalling a distant memory.

The talk of families had forced Prince to bow his head from the conversation. Having nothing to share of his own, he simply attempted to try and make sense of all he'd seen instead.

Easier said than done. To be truthful, he still didn't feel like he understood much of anything. He knew some things about Grandview and the new friends he's made, but he struggled to fathom how such important students were suddenly brought together with no knowledge of it. It confused him even more of how he was somehow among them, with no memory of himself… or of any family either.

"Why can't I remember?" Prince muttered aloud, not particularly to anyone but himself. Of course, he didn't expect an answer, but deep down, he was hoping some mystical force could offer one of some kind, for both his own questions and everyone else's.

"Hey Prince." Machi had slowed down to stroll, most likely hearing his words. "I just thought of something. Instead of an icicle, I could imagine someone realistically stepping outside and turning into a human sized ice cube instead!"

"An i-ice cube?" Just thinking about it made him feel cold, and took his mind off his previous thoughts.

"Yeah! An ice cube! And then. I imagine someone putting that ice cube into a large soft drink and-!"

"That would be cannibalistic Miss Machi!" Fudo suddenly cried. "Besides, I don't think it's that cold outside, right?"

"Yeah…if it was," Prince grabbed his arms and rubbed them slowly. "How is it we're n-not freezing in here?"

An amused look formed in Machi's eyes, "Don't worry guys! I was just joking of course! The idea's all in good fun!"

"I have to wonder how you find your humor in that-"

"Anyways-" She ignored Fudo playfully and continued on, "it only looks that cold to me since the weather was never this severe in my hometown! Although…you do raise a good point..." she scratched her cheek and came to a stop, seemingly lost in thought for a moment.

"Although what?" Prince questioned.

"I mean… you're kinda right about us not actually freezing in here." She turned toward the windows, frowning slightly at the sight, "I can't imagine how expensive it is to keep things warm in a large place like this. The prices would definitely make someone spontaneously combust just by looking at them."

"Oh right… it hasn't b-been that cold here..." He hadn't considered how warm they had been, especially since it had felt normal to feel that way up until now. But thinking about it more, it definitely felt strange. How was it possible then that every single room here was somehow heated?

By the time they walked upon another intersection, he couldn't help but fully feel the warmth slowly devouring him. But as the group turned a sharp right, stumbling upon another rose-red door, that heat suddenly vanished in a blink of an eye.

"Enough about that heating talk, look! Another room!" Fudo pointed, stepping over to the door, "I suspect there should be some hidden clues inside! Or maybe a possible answer to all our questions!" Before rambling on further, Minnie popped out of his scarf and squeaked something in his ear. "Or more people like Minnie says!"

'I wonder how he can talk with her so well... is there a secret mouse language that only he can understand?' Prince briefly thought before Machi pushed open the large doors.

They were greeted by a circular room, showcasing a terrarium through shiny glass walls. It was decorated like a dense bamboo forest, background and all, entirely illuminated by a huge jagged stone in the center of the room that acted as a light. Only three doors stood around them, one placed at the end of the room which led back into the halls, while the other two had large plaques etched with symbols; a theater screen to the right and a pack of cards to the left.

Prince was about to advance further inside the room before noticing a small girl next to the door with playing cards. She was muttering something under her breath as she tugged on her pale purple sweater adorned with the sakura pattern. From the looks of it, she couldn't have been much taller than Prince.

"-maybe i-it's fine…" he could barely hear her say as she swiped through different apps on her watch, "b-but... better f-find the next place then… w-where i-is it again?"

He noticed she had the same clueless movements he first had when looking through the watch, as she hesitated with each button press before assumably locating the app she wanted. Unfortunately for her, her chance to open it passed the second Fudo and Machi noticed her presence.

The mediator stepped up first and calmly waved, "Hello! It's nice to m-"

"HEY THERE-!" The magician exclaimed.

"GA-GAAHH!"

A jolt shot through Prince at the sudden cry, with his lips pressing together tightly so as to not scream himself from the sound. Embarrassing to be sure, but maybe not as much as the girl who flew back toward the glass wall, losing her hat and possibly her sense of awareness during the process.

"Are you okay?!" Machi immediately went over to help steady the girl to her feet. But surprisingly, the girl suddenly began to laugh. Or, attempt to at least. Her breaths were going too fast for it to sound like a proper one.

"Oh! I d-didn't… ahaha! So sorry!" she stuttered out, skipping over letters and words as she waved her tiny hand, "Please excuse me ah… you startled me for a s-second there!"

"Startled? You jumped up like ten feet in the air! No offense…" The mouse squeaked something loudly in Fudo's ear in response. "Hey I said no offense-!"

"Hey now, it's okay," Machi answered for the girl, "that was quite a scare for you! You're actually the second person I've met today that's had this happen to them!" She knowingly glanced at Prince and grinned. "Funny how things seem to repeat themselves here!"

"M-Machi!" Prince blurted out, but he couldn't hide his smile from the comment, "Ah, nevermind - um… you're not hurt, right?" He asked, turning his attention to the girl in question, "I met a… um… doctor earlier who could analyze if there's anything-"

"Oh there's no need to worry about me, I'm completely fine!" she reassured, rubbing her red cheeks slowly, "I was just… taken by surprise… that's all… but that was my mistake for not paying attention e-earlier."

"Aw, there's no need to apologize!" Machi encouraged, swiftly taking over the conversation, "You were just walking out of a room! Nothing wrong about that. Right guys?"

Prince nodded, but saw Fudo begin to fluster at the comment and crossed his arms, "Oh, right… yeah… and uh… sorry for scaring you. I have a tendency to do that when I'm excited. At least that's what Ma says to other adults before all my shows!"

'I can't imagine what you must have done for your own mother to admit you do that…'

Regardless, the girl let out a small breath and smiled, letting go of the grip in her hands, "Oh it's no problem at all... thank you very much!" She had fully recovered from her sudden fall before quickly blushing again. She looked very uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"H-Huh?" Fudo's face twisted into one of worry. "W-What's wrong now? Did I say something wrong?"

"N-No! Nothing like that, don't worry… it's just… I didn't expect this to happen so soon," she explained, pulling the sleeves of her sweater carefully, "Wait…! Sorry, I wasn't being clear." She turned over and breathed in. "I meant I didn't expect there to be introductions so soon. I wanted my first impression to everyone to be a bit more… ah... w-what's the word I'm looking for?"

"G-Good?" Prince guessed.

"Y-Yeah, that's what I wanted! A good first impression! Something like that. But… uh… that's kinda out of the picture now I guess," the girl laughed.

"We can still introduce ourselves!" Machi cheerfully claimed, "And your first impression is already good since you've been accepted into the same school as us!"

"Oh?" the girl perked up as her face brightened, "O-Oh! Right! You all must be students at Grandview Academy! I got a letter saying I'd meet everyone in orientation before I… um… ended up here…"

"Then you're just like us!" Fudo informed, "Although… that shouldn't be that surprising since we've met nothing but Grandview kids here… but, the more the merrier of course!" He grinned as he gave back her chef hat from the floor, "I can introduce myself and Minnie first if you wish."

The two introduced themselves quickly to the girl. She had a positive reaction to seeing his assistant, and also looked quite excited upon hearing his talent, "I always wanted to see a magic show with my own eyes! But ah… I'm always so busy at my dessert shop, so I never really get the time to, sadly."

"Is that so? Well now's a perfect chance to see one performed by a Grand student of all people!" Fudo cheered, tipping his hat, "and I always give a free front row seat to first time viewers as well! Just let me know whenever you want me to perform if you have the time!"

Right after them, Machi introduced herself and the girl listened engagingly to her talent as well, "mediating is definitely an important skill to learn, so I f-find it incredible that you're considered the best at it. What's the reason for that?"

"You're too kind!" Machi blushed as she leaned to the side, "As for that question, let's just say I've had years of practice to truly understand it."

And then after her, it was his own turn to go up.

With a nervous smile he waved and introduced himself, "I'm Prince and... I… uh… don't really remember my own talent at the moment… but I'll let you know if something pops up in my h-head as soon as I can."

"Mhm! Understood!" the girl nodded brightly, making him feel easily reassured. "I guess it's my turn then. Ah- my name is Aimi Sakai, and my title is Grand Patissier! Or, Pastry Chef, in simpler terms. It might not… um… be as mind blowing as all your talents, but I can always whip up something mind-numbingly delicious! In- In a... dessert station of course… hehe!"

It was only after she revealed her talent that Prince started to make sense of the strange, yet humble outfit she wore. He had already seen her sweater, but it was partially covered up by a white chef's coat with the same silver badge everyone else had on. It matched her white socks and miniature chef hat, which was placed atop charcoal pigtails that ended near her back. A floury white-coated part of her hair that made it gleam, and she had on a knee-length dark skirt that she clutched with drained hands.

"Oooooohhhh! So you make sweets!?" Fudo beamed, to which Aimi nodded happily, "whenever we have enough money, my Pa makes sweets as well! What exactly can you make Aimi?"

"It can fluctuate!" Aimi explained, a smile growing on her lips as her voice became steady, "depending on the person's wants! Cakes, Cookies, Pies, Tarts, any number of Frozen Treats! If need be, I can develop new recipes as well! Only high paying buyers would expect things like that from me though."

Prince's mind began to bog down from all the sweets she had listed, their textures floating around his head as their delicious smells swirled, "Wow… that would sound great right about- I-I mean… um! It's incredible you can do all that. And you said earlier you own a dessert shop as well, right? No wonder you got the title, it sounds like you've made quite a name for yourself off it…"

"Aw, t-thanks… I have done some big things out there I suppose," she nervously laughed, "but since I'm only really good at making dessert, anything else done by me turns into a total mess, so I don't know if I'll be of much help-"

"Nonsense! I mean it's a great thing we have a few actual chefs in here, no matter what type!" Machi encouraged, "this way we won't die from starvation if we end up suddenly getting trapped here at least!"

'Yeah… ignoring that morbid starvation part… we do have Jun and Aimi together. I wonder… what their food actually tastes like. Would it be rude to ask them if I could be a taste tester?'

"Well I can already tell we're gonna be super close Aimi!" Fudo expressed, standing side by side with the patissier, "you gotta show me how you make your stuff if you can! Pa as well when we get out of here! His treats are definitely good, but he could still use a few lessons from an expert, heh!"

"T-That sounds good!" Aimi agreed, "I always enjoy showing people how I create all my desserts! Uh… but it looks like we're gonna be here a while b-because of that storm, so in the meantime, we'll have to ask the owner of this place for permission to use their kitchen! I wouldn't really feel okay with using it otherwise…"

The comfortable feeling he had settled into vanished at the mention of 'The Owner'. He had been so focused on the conversation that he almost forgot what situation they were currently in, "speaking of… uh... owners... I think I forgot to ask this. But did any of you wake up and find a letter from them as well?"

'I remember Jun had it too… and Kanon referred to the Coronation when... talking about me…'

It didn't take long for Prince to find the answer as the chef suddenly tensed up as well, "a-ah… yes I did! It said something about a Coronation of some kind, and the rest of it was… far more strange. I couldn't really understand it… sorry.."

"No, it's fine! We all got one from them too!" Fudo grabbed it from his scarf and grumbled, "It didn't reveal much though, so it's pretty useless. The best we can do is just keep exploring to find answers… or maybe even an exit! That would be better than waiting around for that whole Coronation mess later."

Machi gave off a sudden dazed look in bewilderment, "Are you suggesting it might not be what it seems, Fudo?"

"I mean… yeah!" He answered, "Minnie says we shouldn't trust anyone who claims they own the place you woke up in! Especially with no memory of how! I mean, that's like kidnapping protocol 101, isn't it?!"

The mediator pursed her lips and furrowed her brow just a bit, "I mean I've been thinking about that, and I dunno... it doesn't make that much sense to me."

"It doesn't make sense?" Prince repeated. Where could she be going with this?

"Yeah, I mean… if someone really did kidnap us," she went on, "then why'd they take us to such a nice place like this? Anytime someone gets kidnapped in a horror movie, they always end up in some run down, scary looking place. But this place is like a mansion!"

"You're talking about a horror movie Miss Machi," Fudo sighed wearily, "I dunno if you can really compare horror movies to this situation."

"Machi does have a p-point, I think…" Prince suddenly said, thinking harder on the matter, "I mean… i-it doesn't seem very beneficial to kidnap a bunch of students and put them in a mansion like this, at least for the kidnapper in question. W-Why would they let us roam around like this?"

"Ah- so… w-we're not in danger or anything?" Aimi questioned. "W-What do you think this all is then?"

He stood deep in thought, making the gears in his head turn. They all wake up in a large mansion, filled with rooms that almost looked like it was meant to sustain them. Not to mention that everyone they had met came from Grandview Academy. Could it be possible that…?

"Do you think this was all constructed by Grandview instead?" Prince suddenly suggested, "from what I've heard… they seem to have the money to a-afford a lot of this stuff."

He cringed at own words. What was he talking about? He had no memory of Grandview or anything about it at all! How would he even know something like-

"Oh! That's a good theory!"

Prince looked up at Machi in shock, "W-What?"

"I was thinking that could be it! as well," Machi beamed, "it's possible this is how the orientation for the school works. You'd be surprised to know that the inner workings of Grandview are actually quite mysterious—" Prince raised his eyebrows to that piece of info. "—so this might be how they introduce students to each other! We just didn't know because… well it wasn't said that we'd meet like this on the packet!"

"Hmmm… I-I guess that could be true," Aimi chimed in as she messed with her chef hat, "we all also woke up in assigned r-rooms I think… so maybe this manor is actually the dorms for us!?"

"Oh yeah, that must be exactly it!" Machi lit up.

The group excitedly began talking about the new possibility, with Prince standing by in complete silence. Could it be this whole time they were worrying over nothing? It made more and more sense that Grandview could do something like this to its students, right? Had he finally done something to lift everyone's spirits and answer their questions?

"This could… p-possibly be it…" Prince laughed, shaken over his own thoughts, "we don't even need to worry if Grandview is behind this then!"

"Are you sure?" The magician clutched tightly to his scarf and sighed, "it's definitely a thing that could be true, but this is all based on the assumption that they would willingly do something like this. But why would Grandview do it?"

That was the big question. Why would a school so prestigious, so perfect in every way, invite their students over like this? "I'm n-not quite s-sure honestly... since I don't k-know anything about the school…"

"I honestly think this theory sounds about right though," Machi admitted, "Grandview has a tendency to do things like this with every new class. Some overly extravagant entrance ceremonies or orientations for the school. They always talk about it online because the celebrations are massive with each new class."

"Really?" Aimi asked, "s-so could this scenario also fall under that category?"

Fudo didn't appear all too convinced, pulling his scarf up near his nose until only his narrowed eyes were visible. He uttered a small, "maybe" to the idea, "I still think we should keep looking for clues on our situation anyhow… y'know? At least until we find something that could hopefully prove this!"

"Of course, evidence is key after all!" Aimi agreed wholeheartedly.

"That does still seem like the best option for now!" Machi turned over and nudged Prince in the shoulder, "Are you okay with doing that Prince?"

He didn't even think twice about saying yes. After all, it seemed like it was always going to end with them searching for clues anyway. But the theory was enough to keep Prince going. Maybe it could… prove he belonged there. At that somehow mystical academy that seemed out of reach somehow. That way, he could possibly stay with all the new friends he had introduced himself to.

Filled with newfound confidence, he held his head high toward the group, "Alright then… where should we search for first?"

"Allow me!" The mediator volunteered. She then turned around and observed the two doors in the room. "Let's see… we should probably split up and take each room! Who wants to go-"

"Oh! Me and Minnie call the movie room then!" Fudo yelled, his bright attitude returning remarkably fast, "Oh! Aimi, we can teach you a few card tricks while we explore there! I still have my deck with me!"

"Really? I've never… handled cards b-before. Ahhh, I might make a huge mess!"

"Don't worry, you get used to it pretty quick, since me and Minnie are masters of magic and all!"

"O-Okay then, lead the way!" she beamed, following the duo into the other room, "A-Ah wait!" she turned to Prince and Machi, "I forgot to tell you, there's another student in the game room-!"

"W-What? Another student?" Prince repeated, but Aimi and Fudo had already made their way into the other room.

"She really had to tell us that at the l-last second?" Machi chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck.

"It appears so," Prince answered tiredly.

"I guess that means we'll just have to meet them ourselves!" The mediator was quick on her feet and already standing near the next door. "You know, I bet we'll be able to find something faster together once we introduce ourselves with them!"

"Yeah… I wonder what they're like..." Prince said aloud, but his mind wandered elsewhere. And just like before, Machi seemed to pick up on this and stood by his side.

"Is something on your mind, Prince?" She asked thoughtfully, her calm mediating voice returning in a flash.

"Maybe..." Prince smiled before his thoughts overtook him again, "do you… really think Grandview might actually be behind this? And if they are… well… do you think…" —an image surfaced in his mind and he slightly closed his eyes tightly to keep it— "do you think I-I was invited there as well?"

Machi paused for a moment, seemingly thinking it over as well. But it didn't last long as she quickly grinned at Prince, "You're here with us, aren't you? That's more than enough for me to know you came from Grandview as well!"

A warm feeling began building in his chest, slowly growing into a disorganized mess of emotions that threatened to spill out as he attempted to reply, "T-Thank you for saying that. I haven't been thinking a-about that possibility as m-much but… maybe... that could be the case."

"Of course it is silly! I'm usually right on my assumptions!" Machi declared as they entered the new room.

The second they stepped inside, a small sound emitted from his watch, but he ignored it and took in the new area.

The room they entered was fashioned in plain carpet — done in a solid burgundy color — that squished under Prince's shoes. The bland floor transitioned into elaborate antique walls, fastened with frames of photos taken years before color could be incorporated in the film. Parts of the walls without photos held display cases for antique guns and swords, and those were surrounded by bookshelves and plants.

Low hanging lights from the wooden ceiling illuminated a long shuffleboard table placed in the center; and around it were other gamesets such as Shogi and Go for more competitive matches. Seating was given for each of the tables that held these sets, two chairs for each of them. And finally, a foosball table was placed on the far left side of the room, it's structure wooden and flimsy. With how small the room was though, it appeared bigger than most of the things inside. There was a walk-in closet nearby it as well, its door slightly ajar with boxes of games crammed on the shelves. From where Prince was standing, he assumed they were mostly board games, but still approached it to see if there was anything of note.

That's when he saw another girl inside it, as expected from Aimi's comment. What he didn't expect was for the student to be on her knees, fingers interlocked together near her head as she whispered in a different language he couldn't recognize.

"W-What in the world?" Prince sputtered, catching Machi's attention in the process

"Huh? Did you find anything?" Machi whispered, looking over to where the girl was, "O-Oh!" She slightly gasped in suprise. "I didn't even see her when we came in. Huh…" For a brief moment, Machi paused and stroked her chin, "she looks... sort of familiar?"

"Familiar?" Prince stepped back so as to not interrupt whatever the girl was doing. "Do you know her?"

"Nah not personally, her attire I mean." Machi glanced over again and pressed her lips. "I think I've seen kids wear colors like that at my school before. I remember because it was such a… bright... departure from our school uniform. Anyway, I think they said... they belonged to a cult I believe."

"A c-cult?" Prince blurted out. The revelation made him quiet down and inspect the student in question, 'ah.. this is news. But e-even if she might be a part of one, I shouldn't hold any judgment just based on that. We'll wait until she's done praying to talk to her then."

He took the moment of silence to observe the girl carefully. She had on a heavy robe, done in a baby blue and light pink color that complimented the staff resting beside her. The surface of the staff was etched with bizarre symbols and shapes that mirrored the unusual headpiece she wore, though it was unable to hold wisps of her cloudy orange hair which fell past to her ankles.

The shape of the sickly pale face was feminine, pushing Prince into the idea that the figure was a girl, whose height was one of the more impressive, yet downright scary attributes she held. He had a feeling she was taller than most of the people here. However, she was hunched over, her forehead touching drained knuckles as her thin lips uttered hushed words.

Not wanting to startle her, Prince waited for the girl to fully finish, catching only a glimpse of her electronic watch as she suddenly stood up and opened her dull eyes halfway. It was only in that brief second of silence that the girl muttered a small sigh and leaned on her large staff.

And then she spoke.

"Your consideration is appreciated..." she mumbled, her voice sleepy as she rubbed her eyes, "you both may stop hiding now... I have finished saying my peace." Prince's eyes widened and looked over at Machi who had a similar reaction on her face. Even though they remained silent, it's as if both were thinking in unison, 'She knew we were hiding?!'

Sheepishly stepping out, he greeted the girl, who only watched silently at Prince's approach. He couldn't help but feel intimidated by her almost dream-like presence as she loomed over him. Machi, of course, didn't seem to mind it at all and brightly smiled at the new girl. "Hello there!" The mediator greeted, her hand waving in a blur as she approached, "Sorry for uh… walking in on your prayer earlier. We didn't expect for there to be other people here..." —her face dropped just a bit— "well actually we kinda did, Aimi told us."

She blinked slowly at the mediator before placing her hands on her chest, "Oh… Aimi… she walked in on me as well before. She had a similar reaction as you, but there is no need to worry… I appreciate when others are respectful to people's practices."

Her voice was distinctly soft, yet the way she said the words indicated a strong foreign tongue, blurring into an understandable yet… slightly strange tone that Prince barely caught onto. It made him wonder if she was a foreigner like Amelie. Letting the question stir in his head, he decided to step up to the towering girl despite his blush, "w-well that's good to know. We just wanted to uh… make sure we didn't mess up anything y-you were doing. You seemed laser focused during your… prayer…"

"I'm most definitely aware of that on account of my followers," the girl explained, casting her eyes down and nodding her head slowly, "but," —her eyes snapped back to them— "there is no need to worry, of course. Your concern is thoughtful, but I understand in a… unique... situation such as this, other matters are more important."

"Unique is definitely a fitting word to describe what's happening," Machi agreed, rubbing her head, "but I'm sure it'll all turn out fine! It's only Grandview students here after all, so the school obviously must be behind this!"

The girl's hands relaxed on her staff as she nodded in agreement, her cyan eyes gazing over them, "of course, we have no need to fear as you say. Why do so when we've entered such a curious, yet beautiful place?" She smiled then. It was faint and tired, yet still a smile beneath her worn face. She didn't appear that shaken up, calming Prince a little as he attempted to relax as she did. Even the idea of her being a part of a cult seemed a little far-fetched now, though he still kept Machi's words in the back of his mind.

"It's good to know you're okay at least," Prince smiled, nervously dipping his head, "so… since you come from Grandview, can I… uh, ask what your name and talent are? I-If that's okay with you of course!"

"Right, I suppose I should introduce myself now." She clutched her staff close to her chest, almost appearing to rest on it, and raised her voice, "my name is Luna Phillips. High Priestess of The Eternal One, but you may also call me the Grand Cult Leader."

There it was. The confirmation he had been waiting for, and yet he wasn't as shocked as he thought he would be. He wasn't too sure how to react to the talent, as his only understanding of cults were... almost nothing, but they didn't really sound good in his head. He tried to stay cool over it though given Machi seemed amazed over the talent, but he had trouble thinking such a talent would be accepted into a prestigious school like Grandview Academy.

"Woah! I knew you seemed familiar!" Machi said excitedly, clapping her hands together as she stepped up, "so you're the Luna Phillips! I've actually heard of your group before! Some kids at my school are members… how does the admission process work since you live overseas?"

"Wait- overseas?" He turned to look at Luna, "so… you're a foreign exchange student. And you have a cult that stretches this far out?"

Luna stood awkwardly in response to their questions, tugging on the neck of her large robe, "yes... I do run a cult, but to alleviate your worries, the group I hold dominion over is nothing like the "cults'' popularized by the media. We are a caring family who only look to worship The Eternal One in peace."

'There's that name again...' Prince thought to himself before saying, "so… this Eternal One you mention is your deity?"

"Correct, The Eternal One is indeed my master, who predates beyond existence itself, but it is not…" she paused for a moment and slightly sighed, "it is not like the deities you might be used to. It doesn't… blow anyone's brain apart... or drive them mad. I am living proof of that after all."

Prince stood silent in the wake of her words, mulling over his previous thoughts. She did come from Grandview, and a quick once over of her outfit confirmed she wore the silver badge fitted on everyone's person, standing out all the more from her dark appearance. His worry had all been for nothing really, and that realization made him all the more embarrassed.

"Y-Yeah, I see that, sorry... I just have a very limited idea of how organizations like that work…" Prince confessed as he clutched his fingers together, "it's not every day you get to meet a leader of a cult, but I'm sure it's nothing like… bad… you know… like a-all… the normal… ones..." He sighed at his own choice of words, desperately wishing to shove them back into his mouth.

Despite his questioning though, Luna didn't appear agitated, rather she looked calm as she voiced her next words with a quiet air, "it's fine, I know what you're trying to say, and I take no offense to the matter," she informed, brushing her pale orange hair aside from her eyes, "you're not wrong to be wary of my status. The public's view of certain cults is correct, but not all fit that category. Of course, everyone is bound to have their own interpretation of what a cult can be," Luna continued, leaning her head next to her staff, "but as for my own, we tend to spread goodwill to all those we can, whenever we can, in the name of The Eternal One of course. Since I am the vessel for its voice, I'm known as the High Priestess, and I host events to keep everyone's spirits up, such as slumber parties, movie nights, karaoke nights, that kind of stuff."

Prince listened closely as she listed off her groups' activities, letting out a small breath as his worries washed away with her explanation. Though he didn't even think about assuming the worst at the start, it was good to know now that Luna's cult at least was an organization for good.

"Wow, your cult sounds a lot more like a popular club than a shady organization!" Machi pointed out, "it sorta reminds me of the club I made with my friend actually! We focused more on mediating situations though, but the intent is the same!"

"I see you understand what I strive to do then. If you wish to join, my cult is always open to neophytes. We formed in Canada, but we have supporters all over the world, as you have already informed."

"So you really do run a cult from across the world…" Prince said slowly, "well… uh…knowing more about now, it does sound interesting. But I guess we should introduce ourselves though, right Machi?"

"Yep! Forgive us for rambling, we've gone on for far too long! As usual! Hehe! It's a pleasure to meet you Luna!"

Breezing past their introductions, he noted that Luna showed no concern over his lack of talent or memory, responding with, "As of now, it is very easy to be confused. I'm sure your memories will all come back when the time is right."

Prince breathed out in relief, feeling comfortable enough to ask the cult leader a new question, "thank you! So… uh, Luna, have you found anything in this room? We were going to investigate ourselves before we saw you. But it doesn't seem like there's much here."

"I've searched every corner from top to bottom, but found nothing as of now. Only board games, some spare tokens, and abandoned toys left around. Other than that, it appears this is just an ordinary game room."

"Ugh… that's a bummer," Machi sighed, scratching her head, "we could search this place again... but at that point we'd probably be wasting time. So... maybe we should just investigate the other places nearby."

"Well, I did happen to notice another room across from this one," Luna announced, "I saw a few other students going into it before, so perhaps we can aid them in their search, at least if they're still there."

"Oooh! Great idea!" Machi clapped excitedly, "alrighty then! We should all head over there then and see what we can find. Should we get Fudo and Aimi to come with us as well?"

"If you feel that is best, you should go get them," Luna said, "I'll go investigate the other room alone then, I tend to move much faster that way."

"Oh! Are you sure?" Prince asked. It sorta felt like she was implying they'd only slow her down during her search. Which, was probably true,
well… if you think you'll be okay then it's no problem. We'll see you in a bit… stay safe, okay?"

"You do not need to worry… as long as The Eternal One will guide me where I need to go, I feel comfortable continuing on by myself. And I hope you all feel secure as well during your time here." And with that, Luna quickly left the room, appearing to hover as she did so.

"What a wacky girl!" Machi giggled, "you know her cult actually sounds very appealing considering all the good it does! At my school, the kids who are in her group clean the town up a lot!"

"Interesting… does that mean you would actually consider… joining?" Prince asked as they walked out the door. The thought had actually crossed his own mind, but he wanted to confirm with Machi as well.

"Ah- maybe not join- but help out whenever I'm free!" She opened the door to the next room before pausing, "Um… does that still count as joining?" She awkwardly asked.

He turned to respond, only for his eyes to cut to black, "A-Ack! What i-is this!? E-Everything's dark! A-Am I gonna d-die?!"

"Ah, calm down Prince! You're freaking me out too!" He felt Machi grip his shoulders and hold him still. "We just entered a home theater. That's why it's so dark..."

"... Oh. F-Forget I said that then-"

Machi laughed a tiny bit in response, "you're like a dorky clown Prince." She jokingly replied.

"A-Aha… maybe if I had a talent it would be that-" he tried to brush off his imaginary clumsiness and looked around.

Once his eyes adjusted, the first thing that caught his eye were the curtains lining the walls, all jet black with golden patterns sprinkled in on the bottom. Similar colored walls under the curtains were stylishly designed with flowers, their copper petals lining toward the end of the room where the big screen glowed between two large curtains. The light highlighted a bunch of seats pointing toward the big screen, all holding cup holders and yellow buttons to recline. All of it was laid out atop a nice dark carpet.

Instinctively, he checked the walls for any signs of any cameras, but to his surprise, there were none installed. In fact, he hadn't seen any cameras in a while to the best of his knowledge.

He had little time to process what that would have meant as his attention was snatched by Machi sitting herself down into a seat in one of the many rows, seemingly melting into the chair, "Oooh! Now this is a nice setup to watch some flicks! I could totally imagine myself watching some of Seizo Morine's work on the big screen!" She clasped her hands together and sighed, "that would definitely be a dream come true, don't you think Prince?"

He stayed silent as his mind regrettably drew a blank on the name in question, "I have… um… no idea who that person is… s-sorry..." Prince mumbled.

"What- You… you don't know who Seizo Morine is?" Machi's smile dropped, replaced instead with an appalled expression, "e-everyone in the entire world has heard of him! No- not even that. The entire universe! The multiverse!"

"Ah really?" He scratched his head, still completely clueless on who she was talking about. Could it be that this illusive 'Seizo' was also another Grand student? … most likely not, but definitely someone of ultimate importance, especially if Machi was gushing about them so heavily. "I can't really remember who he is... b-but maybe you could show me some of his work later?"

"Um, that's obviously a given!" She crossed her arms tightly and nodded sternly. "We're putting one of his films on the second we get the chance. Trust me, you don't know what you're missing out on! His acting is legendary!"

"Well… I guess with that glowing recommendation… it wouldn't hurt to see." It looked like he was going to be watching some films later in this place, but until that time came, he searched the room for Fudo and Aimi.

Checking his watch, he noticed the room was called 'Movie Screening Room'. But it didn't show either Fudo or Aimi inside. The same appeared to be true in reality, as aside from them and the faintly glowing screen, it didn't seem like anybody else was inside, "Hey, they did tell us they were going to investigate this room, right?" He felt his hand tighten just a bit as he tried to think back. "I t-thought that's what they said anyway."

"Yeah, that is what Fudo said! And I'd like to think I have pretty good hearing so I'm sure I didn't mishear him!" Machi frowned as she sat up, playing with a piece of her hair in the process, "besides, we did see them come in here - I assume they just left to go search somewhere else."

He let out a small breath he didn't know he was holding in. That was the most likely case the more he thought about it, as Fudo was anxious to find more clues before the Coronation. "I-If that's what we think, then we should just regroup with them later. Fudo... d-does seem to know his way around this place, and he has Minnie with him as well."

"Exactly! They're like peas in a pod those two!" Machi declared, "Aimi will definitely be okay sticking with them for the meantime." Prince nodded sternly in agreement. They'd definitely be fine exploring together, he decided. It would just take a little while for them to meet up again.

"S-Shall we move on then?" he suggested nervously. For some odd reason, it felt like the room was growing darker the longer they stood inside, and a lingering feeling of… something he couldn't really understand made the hairs on his neck stand on end.

"I suppose we should. It doesn't look like there's anything to search for inside this place anyway," she sighed as they both stepped out. Immediately the strange feeling seemed to wash away from him, much to his relief. But he couldn't help but wonder what it could've been that made him feel that way. There weren't any cameras in that room to the best of his knowledge.

So why did it still feel like they were being watched?

His swarming thoughts were cut short as something flashed in his peripheral view. It drew his attention over to the source, where much to his surprise he found a relatively tall girl roaming the halls in a daze. Her oval face was framed through luscious hair, cascading in natural buoyant waves before her waist. It was styled in a bow shape that gave her a pair of cute side buns in a light orange color. The shape allowed her wide doe eyes room to observe the snow falling outside with a gaze of curiosity and wonder.

'Another new face… s-she looks like she stepped out of a painting in here…' He noted, as she had on a comfortable teal dress -the upper part slightly ruffled with a paler blue folded back collar and grey rounded buttons- 'is she okay? She looks to be in a bit of trance…?'

Machi was quick to snap her out of it, as she immediately popped out and waved once her own eyes locked onto the new girl, "Hello! Nice to meet you! How do you do today!?"

Seemingly surprised by the sunny voice, the girl did a brief scan around before landing her azure eyes on the duo. It was only then that her thin pale lips -red in color- spread into a comforting smile that naturally lit up the room even more, "Ah, fair greetings brothers and sisters!" She said cheerfully, positioning her hands under her delicate chin, "I'm doing quite well on this fine evening, though perhaps a little disoriented to be honest-" she giggled the notion off with a dismissive wave of the hand and provided her full attention— "that aside however, it is such a pleasure to meet others in this current location!"

"Likewise!" Machi replied, her positive energy matching that of the mythical girl, "may I ask what you're doing at the moment?"

"Hmmm well, I believe I was exploring," she answered, slightly tilting her head, "or... investigating is probably the right word. It's the term I've heard everyone using after all. Though I must confess... it's possible I might have grown a little lost during my travels."

"Oh, you're lost as well?" Machi repeated, tapping a finger to her chin. For some odd reason, that fact also calmed Prince down somewhat.

"Well… a-at least we w-weren't the only ones c-confused by the layout…" Prince chuckled.

The girl's vivid gaze suddenly trained on him and lit up, "Aha yes, it is a tad bit embarrassing on my end." She sheepishly verified, but continued to smile warmly and went on, "you see, when I awoke from the world of slumber, I began to journey around in an attempt to locate the owners of the residence. I knew there were many others, including myself, confused over the strange happenings of our being here, thus I wanted to have a proper talk with them about it!"

Looking around, he didn't notice anyone else by her side. "I-It doesn't look like that conversation has happened just yet, huh?" He asked quickly, the words flowing out. For some reason, it just felt easier to talk to her.

"Unfortunately so." She moved a strange looking doll in her hands, but kept eye contact with them. "I'm still learning my way around these royal passages, but do not worry, I will not be deterred after my first stumble! As is the strength provided by Mother Chikara ensures it to be so!" She reaffirmed the name with a bright exclamation and heavenly expression, locking her hands tightly together in a prayer that faintly reminded Prince of Luna. Though this eccentric girl's prayer seemed more to encourage rather than worship, providing a much needed energy to keep Prince spirits up.

'Could this be the power of whatever talent she has...?' He blurted out.

"Oh yeah, we don't actually know yet." Machi suddenly whispered, "Good thinking Prince!"

"H-Huh? I haven't said anything though?"

"You… you do know you said that out loud… right?"

...

"Oh…" he dropped his head silently in realization.

"Is something troubling you two?" The girl suddenly asked, appearing very concerned.

"A-Ah no! Sorry, we're just talking to ourselves. Anyways! We just realized we forgot to introduce ourselves to you! Sorry about that, I'm Machi Amemori! Grand Mediator!"

"A mediator! How wonderful of a talent for you Sister Machi!" she expressed earnestly in her usually flowery voice. It was much easier to get used to at that point, though the 'sister' part was new, "and you are dear?" She shifted her focus towards Prince, causing him to press his lips tightly together.

"R-Right... and I'm um…" He finally opened his mouth to speak, but struggled to bring up the words he knew he should say. She seemed so nice, but he couldn't help but be a little nervous explaining his lack of memory.

Her oval face suddenly softened in response to this, a comforting look overtaking her once more. "Ah, are you nervous to introduce yourself? It is perfectly fine if you do not wish to tell!" She reassured him brightly. "After all, your Mama probably told you not to talk to strangers, aha…"

His thoughts instantly vanished as he blushed, the girl's warm laugh right after causing a nervous smile to enter onto face, "Ah… s-stop… that's-" he ended up chuckling into his hand, "i-it's okay… I-I was just a bit nervous, uh… I'm Prince," a smile entered his face, "it's really nice to meet you."

"Oh, Prince?" she repeated thoughtfully, "that is such a sweet name! So regal sounding and fitting for a gentle boy such as yourself." His cheeks flushed at the compliment. "...Oh, do forgive me. I should share my name now too. My name is Amaya. Amaya Shirai. I was granted the title of Grand Marionette Maker."

"A marionette maker?" Prince questioned curiously. That explained the doll she carried in her hands. It was a marionette made of pine, wearing a little ensemble of clothing that almost tricked him into thinking it was a real person. The doll was being held with extreme care by Amaya, bearing the same hopeful smile she did. It was as if the soul was radiating light despite the darkness around them. "So you made that yourself? That looks r-really professional… and also k-kinda cute…"

"Aw, thank you Brother Prince! Masa appreciates your kind words!" Amaya nodded the doll's head lovingly, it's movements brimming with just as much life as her. "I treasure his being highly as well" -her smile suddenly grew wider- "after all, he is one of the many dolls I've created to spread wonderful joy across the Earth and Sea!"

"One of many?" Machi asked, gasping in awe, "Oh! Does that mean you have more marionette dolls? Are they in that bag of yours?" She pointed.

Prince looked over to where Machi was pointing and saw that Amaya was carrying a small pale brown canvas backpack with her. It's color seemed to match with the small cloak she wore, which was fastened with a butterfly brooch and embellished in blue threaded embroidered patterns of various shapes along the lower border.

"Very good question Sister Machi. But in actuality, this bag contains my crafting supplies to make my precious marionettes," she explained happily, "but packed within is also nourishment for any trips I partake in, as well as my notepad to jot down any ideas that pop into my ever growing dreams." Prince followed along attentively as she detailed everything inside her bag in a delighted manner.

As she did this, he took a quick glance at her overall appearance. Her teal blue dress moved ever so slightly as she spoke, her ruffled shoulder line revealing long sleeves falling just before her wrists and exposing her shoulders. She also wore a dark brown corset belt, embellished with faint spiritual symbols -symmetrical on each side- and the skirt flaring slightly at the rim. It fell just past her knees, where a pair of soft brown leather slip-on boots could be seen extending just a little above each ankle.

"So… much... supplies…" Machi's eyes spun, bringing Prince's attention back to the conversation, "it's honestly impressive. You know, you could create hundreds of puppets with those! As tall as this hallway probably!"

"Aha, that is the idea! No matter where I am present, I can always hone in on my craft and skills to create more dolls, and bring more joy to this world as a result. It most likely was the reason I was invited to Grandview! With them, I could spread my gifts to as many in need as I can!"

"So that's why you accepted the invitation?" Prince asked thoughtfully.

"But of course!" She revealed. "After all, it's my one true desire in life. To bring as much security and happiness with my work as possible. And with that, spread it to the world for all those to enjoy… that is my calling...

He was completely taken in by her unwavering kindness. It was almost infectious to listen to actually. Her goals were similar to Grandview, but she seemed completely devoted to bettering the entire world as a whole, all through the little doll she carried in her hand. For something like that to be considered possible in her eyes… could be it mean he-

"O-Oh-my apologies, Brother Prince." She suddenly voiced in embarrassment, "I've spent all this time rambling on about my own talent, but I do not believe I've asked you about yours just yet…"

"Oh… right that is t-true…" Prince nodded as he became aware of his surroundings once again, his heart beating faster as a result, "well… it's sort of complicated…"

Amaya tilted her head and furrowed her arched brow, "would you rather not share it at the moment? Ah, that is perfectly fine if you would rather not!" She reassured him.

"It's o-okay actually… i-it's just that-" He paused, racking his brain one more time for some sort of memory before sighing out loud, "I can't... really remember it right now… or if I even have one."

"Is… that so? Oh dear, that must be most distressing, dear." He simply lowered his head in response. "...Ah, but do not worry! I am certain we will find the answer sooner or later. It seems all of us have a Grand talent after all so the same must apply to you as well!"

"Y-Yeah… maybe…" He allowed himself to light up a little with that knowledge once again.

"Exactly! That's what I've been telling him as well!" Machi agreed, "we just need to find the person running the whole operation here and we'll all crack the case! And if it's exactly like we think, Grandview will explain everything to us!"

Amaya briefly blinked, almost as if back in a trance again before she shook her head, "Grandview Academy? You believe they might be the ones behind this curious situation?"

"Y-Yeah… we think…" Prince confessed, "although… I-I'm not really sure. I could be w-wrong but-"

The mediator quickly took his side and snapped him out of his brain, "Hey, there's no need to overthink it too much Prince! Your theory definitely makes a lot of sense! We just need to put all the pieces together we find, and then present it all out when we do!"

He lowered his eyes, but still nodded in confirmation to himself. 'R-Right… I shouldn't let my thoughts take over too much… just be confident…'

"I see…" Amaya trailed off, closing her eyes for a second before shaking her head, "in that case, I shall help you both in any way I can then!" Both Machi and Prince eyebrows raised in response to the marionette maker's sudden initiative. "You can't explore the whole manor with just you two, correct? So, I'll volunteer my services as well! While I explore, I'll be on the lookout for anything of note that may be helpful to you, or clue us in on what may have transpired here before our arrival."

"Y-You'll really help us?" Prince's face completely lit up, now feeling completely at ease, "T-Thank you so much, Amaya!"

"It's my pleasure to help you both!" She beamed, "I desire nothing more than to aid everyone in their efforts. So please do tell me if there's anything else I need to be on the lookout for while I investigate." She emphasized the last word with genuine pride and a bright smile.

"Actually there is!" Machi butted in, "if you see a small boy with a big hat, really blonde hair, cute mouse poking out his scarf, and he's leading around a girl in a chef's hat, do you mind staying with them? Their names are Fudo and Aimi."

"A-And the mouse is named Minnie!" Prince quickly added.

Amaya listened carefully, nodding Masa's head along with each name spoken until she made the doll wave his arms in understanding, "Their names will be interwoven into my thoughts! Now then…" -she paused for a moment, seemingly thinking to herself as fiddled with Masa's strings- "I suppose this is where we part ways to explore?"

"H-Huh?" Prince was taken aback. Was she leaving then so soon? "I-I think it would be better if you came with us though… r-right, Machi?"

"Hmm… I dunno, I'd love the extra company… but," -she looked down the halls and frowned slightly- "Amaya did raise a good point… I don't think we'd be able to cover as much ground as we could with just the two of us in the same place... and with the Coronation happening soon… we might not be able to see everything…"

"So… you're really suggesting… w-we split up?" He rubbed his arm in an attempt to ignore the growing ball of anxiety in his chest, "I'm… I'm not so uh… what if w-we..." No words came to mind. Was he really going to have to wander off alone?

"Does the idea bother you, Brother Prince?" Amaya asked, a concerned look entering upon her face. "Oh don't worry dear, we don't have to part ways if you're not comfortable with it."

"Huh?" His mind quieted down after hearing her words. "N-No I'm… I'm okay with it. I just… was a little worried about going off by myself again… but," -quelling his fear he continued calmly- "but I've done it a bit before so… it shouldn't be a problem."

"Are you certain?" She asked once more, "I wouldn't dare wish to leave you in a position you're not all right with…"

"That's very k-kind of you… but… I think I'll be okay…" Prince reassured, "I think-"

"Really?" Amaya still looked concerned, but let an affectionate smile overtake the expression, "well if you are certain, then I promise you we'll meet again very soon. And once we do, I shall tell you all the stories of my many marionettes, Brother Prince."

"It's a deal then… and t-thank you…" he answered back, a smile forming on his own lips.

Amaya chuckled and hugged the two before taking her leave, waving both her and Masa's arms in farewell, "may the Natural Deities shine their smiles and blessings upon you!" And just like that, the eccentric marionette maker disappeared further down the corridor, her pleasant aura still lingering around Machi and Prince.

"I guess this is my time to head off as well," Machi announced, "we'll meet up back at the foyer before the Coronation!"

"Okay… I'll for sure see you t-then, right?" Prince double checked.

"Of course! And don't worry too much... okay Prince? This isn't a horror movie after all!" Her words broke into a laugh, making her voice sound all the merrier. "Sorry! I couldn't resist-" with a wave of her hand her composure returned "-but anyways, I promise we'll meet up again soon! That is if I don't suddenly die on my way by some masked madman."

"M-Machi!" He didn't even want to entertain the thought.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" She laughed, quickly bringing back the peaceful energy in the room, "okay for real this time, don't worry, I'll be fine. And you never know, we might find a bunch more clues this way!"

"Yeah maybe…" he breathed out, allowing himself to relax a bit more, "well… stay safe then Machi."

"Right back at you Prince!" And after receiving another hug from her, she also departed into another corridor of her own.

Left to his own devices once again, he walked to the left hallway and tried to gather his thoughts, 'It's going to be fine, we'll just explore around for a bit and then meet up... I'll find them soon enough.'

He kept to himself as the absence of Amaya and Machi fully took hold. No calming words or cheerful smiles accompanied him. Instead, he walked alone, keeping the two close in his thoughts until he approached another colossal looking door in his path. No glimmer or polish shined on the surface, and the once cherry wood now looked a bit murky. Through the door he could hear voices, though he couldn't tell who it belonged to. According to the map on his watch, it looked like two people were occupying the place.

'Maybe there are others who are searching in this room then. I should take a peek and see what I can find as well…'

Opening the door took some effort, but eventually he opened it to find a colorful array of artistry decorating the walls of a huge room two stories in height. They hung beside grand displays of abstract looking relics and weaponry, deliberately placed to highlight their beauty among the treasures as they shone in the light. He stood in awe of it all, his eyes darting between them in an attempt to capture all of their glow, 's-so beautiful… this must be an art gallery then, to store all of the relics and artwork the owner of this place comes across.'

His attention eventually focused to the center of the room, where a boy and another unnaturally tall girl were also observing the paintings. The girl almost appeared to resemble Luna, though after squinting his eyes he quickly came to realize the similarities between the two stopped after their height and pale skin. Feeling at ease seeing new faces, Prince prepared to introduce himself to the duo. That was until the girl took notice of him, and interrupted his thoughts with a booming laugh.

"Oh ho~! What an exciting coincidence of fate!" she exclaimed brightly, shattering the introduction in Prince's head as she approached, "it's so nice to meet another precious doll~ How have you been within this sacred mansion? Scared? Tense? Or maybe intrigued like I was? You've gotta admit, it is quite the spectacle to behold, don't you agree?!"

"Wha-?"

He was cut off swiftly by a laugh from the girl, "on second thought, there's no need to answer that! Whatever feeling you have is warranted in this situation~ No one even knows what's going on, so why would anyone be calm? It makes total sense to be terrified! I guess the real question I should be asking is who you are exactly?"

"U-Uh…" she was moving so fast that he almost forgot to say his name, "it's P-Prince... and-"

"Oooh? Like an actual member of royalty from a faraway and glorious kingdom!" Her eyes widened as she leaned in toward him, revealing a toothy grin, "might I ask what royal bloodline you belong in? Or is that classified by your kingdom?" She inquired with a wave of her finger, "don't worry, if you spill the beans, I can identify many different futures for you! I just need a drop of your blood in order to do so doll~!"

"B-Blood?" His throat started to clam up at the girl's questions, 'what…. What should I say to her? She's talking about all this w-weird stuff... I can't keep up!"

"My apologies… Prince is it?" The boy he saw earlier suddenly spoke, maneuvering between the two of them with a graceful air to his step, "forgive me for interrupting, but I can see you're stressed at the moment. Please, pay her no mind and take a few deep breaths like this... "

The boy touched Prince's chest and inhaled deeply, gesturing with his hand for him to do the same. Of course he followed suit before exhaling just as he did. Each breath untangled the web of boggled thoughts in his mind, strand by strand, until his senses slowly returned to him. "W-Wow... that was… surprisingly therapeutic…" he breathed out, calming himself enough to steady his words, "sorry… I meant to answer back but, I-I just froze up. It's honestly a recurring thing for me."

"That's perfectly fine, I'm just glad my method was of some use to you," the boy smiled calmly, allowing his hands to fall, "when put on the spot with questioning, especially outlandish ones such as that, it's best to calm your mind and center yourself-"

His words were cut off unsurprisingly by a hearty laugh behind him It belonged to the girl, who adjusted her pince-nez glasses in amusement, "outlandish, really now? Oh come on Stefano I was kidding, I'm kidding! No need for a mediation class all of a sudden! It was definitely clear to me he wasn't an actual prince! ... no offense, doll."

"Um...none taken?" Prince reassured.

The calm boy, or Stefano, slightly shook his head in response, "ahem, I'd like to apologize for her behavior on both of our behalfs. You see, Momo here is a bit more-"

"Striking? Approachable? Desirable? All three?" The girl, 'Momo', attempted to guess.

"-of a jokester," he finished, "with her antics aside however, it's a pleasure to actually be meeting you in this beautiful home, Prince. How are things with you?"

"A-Ah… it's going okay for t-the most part..." Prince replied, a natural smile taking over once again as he eased into the conversation, "it's always nice to meet new friends here… um… I overheard… you're S-Stefano, right?"

"Hahaha… you're correct," he answered brightly, "forgive me for my manners, I should have introduced myself fully first before all this. I am Stefano Alexeev, known back in Vatican City as Father Alexeev for being one of the youngest Exorcists to reach the high rank. But while here, you may call me Alex if you so desire, and… in Grandview Academy, I am known as the Grand Exorcist!"

His softly spoken tone rose in emphasis for the reveal of his talent, a talent that Prince could tell he was pretty happy with seeing his face. Despite the title though, he looked rather standard in appearance, giving him some comforting familiarity with the young boy. He wore a black long coat with a light gray trim, matched with a basic grey shirt and black baggy pants that were tucked into dark gray combat boots. He had on black leather gloves, both with cross symbols, and a dark gray flat cap which he wore over his silky blonde hair.

"An exorcist..." Prince mumbled aloud, his mind aching as he tried to remember what the title implied, "I'm… not quite sure what that is… s-sorry."

"No need to fret. You see, a typical week for exorcists consists of many different oddities day in and out, not usually witnessed by those of normal life," Stefano informed with a wave of his hand, "I've encountered many entities in my field, but I focus on more demonic exorcisms. Ridding evil spirits and cleansing areas from their influence. As a fellow classmate, if you ever have a feeling something like this may be occurring in your life, you can always contact me and I'll respond as soon as I'm available."

"Which is almost all the time since he's got nothing to do every single day~" The girl grinned.

The exorcist shot her a look, but the girl seemed composed in her presence. Despite this, Prince felt as if should step in to make sure nothing happened, "a-ah thanks for the offer. I'll… most likely think it over while we're here, but I'll let you know if I'm having t-that kinda problem… Alex."

"That's enough for me to be satisfied then, Prince," Stefano informed, turning away from the two.

With their conversation done, he looked over at the girl accompanying the exorcist, who had managed to keep mostly quiet except for that one off comment, "So… ah… may I ask for your-"

"Oh ho! Curious about my identity now are we?" she smirked, her attention turning back toward Prince, "I was just about to get to that, my doll! Just promise to hold all surprises until after I introduce myself. Okay? And no spoilers Stefano!"

"What the-? I didn't even-"

He couldn't even reply back before being interrupted once again. "Alright then! Ahem! Behold my spectators, for you are in the presence of the entrancing, luminous, never before seen Grand Demonologist, Hagoromooooo Maeeeee!"

Unable to say anything in response, Prince attempted to process what had just occurred before him as Hagoromo dramatically took a bow. He couldn't remember what a typical demonologist looked like from the top of his head, but from the looks of it. he could only assume she matched the description perfectly with her odd appearance. Aside from her obviously unnatural height, she had on a black off shoulder long sleeve top, with some kind of complex symbol he couldn't understand done in white. Ad black fur white long jacket was placed atop it, reaching to her knees with a black trim. They covered her ice colored wide-leg trousers a bit, which also partly concealed black high lace boots.

"Well, what do you think?" Hagoromo asked, standing upright once more with hands proudly on her hips.

'I have a feeling she'll interrupt me before I can say anything.' He still opened his mouth to reply, "W-Well-"

"Oh I know, I know, my doll!" she interrupted, "It's a widely crazy field for sure! Only a select few, such as myself of course, become great demonologists. I — greatly, huge emphasis on the 'great' part — differ from most of those hacks since my studies of demons are one of a kind! It's what made me insanely famous in the eyes of Grandview, among many other things as well!"

"S-So you're known for a lot?" Prince replied right after. He wanted to at least engage somewhat in the conversation, though he was struggling to keep up the pace with the jubilant demonologist.

"Of course! My talent mostly revolves around the research of the paranormal, specifically demons as you've probably caught on by now. Though between you and me-" she leaned way down to Prince's level to whisper in his ear- "I like to see myself as a paranormalist since I live to study everything regarding the supernatural! You name it, I've probably written a couple thousand reports on it."

"A c-couple 'thousand?!'" Prince repeated in shock. He couldn't even imagine how many hours of work that would require.

"Yep!" she grinned deviously as if it wasn't a problem for her, "hit me with any question you got and I'll tell you it all!"

From the looks of it, she actually appeared quite confident she could, but he couldn't really rack up anything he could quiz her on. Though it was more like he couldn't remember any mythical creature at all.

"Ah… unfortunately I can't really think of any right now… b-but considering Grandview picked you… I don't d-doubt you could. It sounds like a handful for any normal person t-to do..."

"Indeed!" she approved, flicking her messy white hair off her shoulders, "after all, only such a feat could be accomplished yours truly~"

She stood silent for a brief moment before her smile grew sour, "though now that you bring it up, I don't recall you mentioning your talent? Care to elaborate for us, Prince? I hope it's just as interesting as yours truly!"

'Ah shoot… I knew it was coming…'

"Well um… the thing is I can't quite remember it…" he explained, "ever since I woke up here… I've been having trouble understanding a lot of things like… Grandview and… anything about myself honestly. I just… lost i-it… somehow..."

"Interesting… you can't remember…?" Her icy blue eyes stared deep into his fragile soul, appearing to glow in the light above as they fixated onto his eyes. The state was so intense that somehow Prince couldn't exactly look away from it. He stood frozen as the demonologist leaned further and further near his face until…

"Ahaha! That's great!" She laughed loudly near his ear, causing him to wince as she wiped tears out of her eyes, "your lack of memory really adds to the mystery element here! It's just another thing that makes this situation way more interesting!"

He was stunned into silence over her reaction, "H-Huh? What does that mean?"

"Um… well what I said is exactly what I mean. What else do you want me to say? "

"I-I dunno… that's… that's all y-you think a-about it?" He didn't know if he should've been relieved or concerned that her thought process over his lack of memory was practically nonexistent.

"Well, I guess I am disappointed you didn't keep it a secret or lie about it," she confessed, placing a hand near her. "It would've really left me in a bit of suspense, you know what I'm saying, doll~?"

"A-Ah… not really…" And he definitely didn't wanna know what she met by that.

"Oh- well it's whatever!" She flung her hands into the air and slumped against one of the paintings, "you shouldn't take your lack of memory so seriously. I mean who cares that you can't remember what's happening… when you're in a place as cool as this!"

"Momo," Stefano said seriously, his gaze fixed on her, "do you truly believe that nothing weird is happening here?" He questioned.

"Now I didn't say that, something obviously is up, but that makes this whole thing way more intriguing! So instead of questioning every little thing, I think we should explore ahead! There was a really cool demon room I wanted to check out! I don't see the point in staying in a room with nothing in it!"

'Demon room?' Prince shook upon hearing it, "what do you mean by a demon room?"

He knew right away his voice wasn't loud enough to be picked up by the conversing duo, "I'd rather not venture in such a place. After all, this situation has proven to be far more bizarre than most."

"Your face is bizarre~" she mocked jokingly.

"Wha-" Stefano suddenly stopped in his tracks and glared at her, "will you please stop interjecting everything with a joke of some sort. It's very-"

"Aw Stefano… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your grumpy little heart! I just thought I should let you know that, you know... since we're inseparable and all~"

The two then started to bicker then with a silent Prince in their wake. He could sense their dynamic oozed a deep history. Or, at least a history well enough where insult level humour was deemed acceptable by them.

Or maybe it wasn't deemed acceptable…

"I-I'm gonna go look around then-" he told them, silently bidding the pair goodbye before wandering out of the art gallery. He couldn't help but think about them even after he left. There was something interesting about the two, something he wanted to find out.

That idea lingered in his head as he shuffled to the next door. Unlike the others before, this one was designed in dark wood with no patterns and no knob. It was a sliding door that had a symbol of a three petaled flower, and it was floating above it like some kind of hologram. But there didn't appear to be a projector nearby, and it wasn't connected or carved into the door. The symbol, bright white with an electric red outline was… somehow floating in front of the door, pulsating like a heartbeat.

"What in the…?" Entranced by the movement, he touched it, finding that it didn't burn his hand like the key before. His hand started to buzz instead, feeling as if the skeleton beneath his skin was vibrating against the muscle.

Not feeling too comfortable standing out in the halls after that, he breezed past the doors and walked in on…

Water. Very dark… dark… dark water.

He panicked at first at the sight of it reaching for him. That was until he realized that a glass floor separated him from the black depths below. He was on a walkway, above the water, with railings to keep him safe. Yet despite that, his stomach still lurched seeing the crackling black surface sway beneath his feet.

'Y-Yep… definitely don't want to fall into that… nope… absolutely never…. not doing that-'

He strictly kept to the walkway upon seeing this and forced himself to look at the dark vegetation accompanying the pond. Drooping red flowers of surprising beauty were floating above the water, growing black vines that crawled up to the ceiling around an assortment of painted artistry, black and gold in color. It swirled together, centering in around a dark triquetra that emitted a dull glow above a large centerpiece. He couldn't help but notice how unusual it looked, and also the lack of cameras in the room.

What stood out far more to him though was another student, a fashionably dressed boy inspecting the large centerpiece with focused eyes. The boy in question seemed to blend into the background, as his dark clothes complimented the abyssal waters around and his red colored hair gelled with the royal walls. He looked to be more on the quiet side of things, isolating himself from a much larger group nearby.

Seeing his lack of company, Prince worked up the nerve to shuffle his way over to greet himself. His attention honed in on him as he walked, not wishing to look below at the fragmented waters churning with fish. He had caught a small glimpse before and was already weary of them, due to their sagging burnt bodies and broken pale eyes that glittered in the darkness. He decided then to just observe the boy's outfit instead. He was fitted in a black zipper coat, with an embroidered kanji of four standing out in deep maroon. Similar looking kanji dangled off his ears as well —bright white in color— like the kanji symbols written across the top of his loose pants. Like every other person so far, he wore an older badge, and Prince assumed a watch as well despite not being able to see his wrist.

A thought came to him then once he took his outfit in. A thought of intrigue that fully materialized right as he approached him. The boy appeared a bit rigid and imposing, but curiously was passive, lost in thought as he observed the centerpiece before him. Not wanting to judge anything before speaking, Prince gave a small wave.

"H-Hello there..." he greeted smiling, hoping he wasn't annoying the boy, "nice to meet another friend here… especially in this… um… room… right now..."

'M-Maybe I should just try to take more mental notes from Machi and Amaya's conversations…'

Internally he kicked himself in the face at the awkward start, but he stopped himself from saying it out loud as the boy's focus shifted toward him, his dark eyebrows slightly raised. "Ah-, hello there…" the boy said quickly, pausing for a split second before continuing, "I see you've come to investigate this room as well."

"R-Right!" Prince answered before stopping short on his words, "wait I mean, y-yeah… but no… but that's also right. I um… actually noticed you were standing here alone… keeping your distance from the others here," — he glanced at the group in question, noticing they were investigating some kind of metal door— "ah- anyways… I wanted to come and say hello to you!"

"Oh… so you've come to greet me then," the boy uttered, his expression now cautious. He wasn't sure why that was the case, but it reminded Prince of Kanon's gaze at him before, though his dark red eyes weren't as cold as hers. "Very well, may I ask your name and talent?"

"My name and talent… um…" he stopped for a moment and calmed himself, "well I know my name is Prince… but… I'm not sure what my talent is at the moment. It's… kind of hard to remember…"

"You don't remember your talent-?!" the boy repeated, his voice lowering as he muttered something under his breath, "hmmmm… how suspicious."

He had half expected that response, yet he still couldn't help but feel embarrassed hearing it out loud, "… yeah… it's um a bit troubling I can't remember it... but I promise you I'm-"

"Ah- you heard that?!"

...

"Uh… y-yeah…"

The commanding presence the boy had before has quickly vanished as his eyes diverted from Prince's, "Ah, I'm only joking. I just tend to... say things that pop into my head. It helps me collect my thoughts… bring it all full circle… you know? You understand that, right Prince?"

He understood that idea all too well, "of course I do… I mean... everyone's on edge right now, s-so being able to keep track of your thoughts is important… but we should also try to k-keep calm… you know?"

"Ah- okay," the boy mumbled, nodding along before repeating, "that's good... I'm glad you understand then." His words flowed out with more clarity, his voice composed and deep as his attention turned back to Prince, "I do tend to mutter a lot though... so you might want to get used to it from now on."

"Is that right?" Prince asked, recalling the two other times he had seen him doing it.

"Well… I don't do it all the time… but you should keep that in mind." He paused for a moment before sighing, "but then again, it seems like you've got good ears so, maybe it won't be a problem for you."

"I see… w-well… on a good note... we have something in common at least!" Prince attempted to joke. However, he did feel better about the idea that he was similar in some regard to the students here, or at least some of them.

"Anyways- I suppose I should introduce myself as well…" he concluded as he raised his hand, "you see, my name is Koji Yabusaki. I'm known by many as the Grand Undertaker. A pleasure to meet you."

"Undertaker?" Prince repeated, in no way attempting to mask his confusion. Much like his appearance and personality, the talent immediately stood out to him, sounding far more akin to the occult than anything he knew of. He began to wonder then if that would also explain Koji's quirks.

"Confused?" Koji questioned. It was then Prince remembered he was still standing there, looking just as taken aback as he was.

"Um... honestly yeah…" Prince confessed. The way Koji had worded it made it sound like a well known thing, but like most things, his brain drew a blank on the concept, "again… the whole memory thing makes me kinda… clueless I guess, b-but I'd like to hear about it though… if you're-"

"You'd like to hear about it?" Koji interrupted, looking far more engaged than before, "I mean… um- sure… I guess I'll talk about it. Ahem, as my talent suggests, I prepare everything for the deceased-"

"H-How does your t-talent suggest that?!" His face paled.

"Well- I'm an Undertaker, that's what it means…" Koji explained, his face scrunched in confusion, "doesn't that make sense?"

"I-I don't know- I can't remember?! W-Why does it mean that-!"

"I-It just does! Anyways" —he quickly got back on track—"it's as I said, I prepare everything for the deceased. From funeral arrangements, to comforting the family, to handling the body itself, I manage it all."

'Handling the b-body… p-preparing for the deceased… does that mean… oh-!' the gears suddenly clicked into place as a faded idea came to mind, "Wait, so does that m-mean… you're like a… funeral… director?"

"Well… the titles are interchangeable, so Undertaker is just far more acceptable," Koji addressed as he continued, "but in essence yes, my work is like that. I can go into far more detail, but the gist of it is that the reason I got my talent is that many clients I've had in the past we're important figures. Of course in death though, I make sure every person deserving of heaven and euphoria is sent off with the proper things they need to rest."

He stayed silent after his words fell off, his eyes distant for but a moment before he turned his attention back to Prince, "does that clear up… some things for you?"

"O-Oh right! Yeah… I-I mean… uh… it definitely did. I didn't know Undertakers did… that…"

"You say that as if it's a bad thing," Koji wearily sighed, messing with his earrings, "you know, it's completely natural right? That's like- what all of our lives eventually lead to in the end."

"N-No I know!" Prince quickly shook his head, "S-Sorry I didn't mean to sound like I-I didn't like t-talking about it…it sounds very interesting… I just-"

"Well, of course it's interesting!" Koji agreed, latching on right after he said that, "I'm impressed you see how important my talent actually is Prince. Since you actually are interested, I'll tell you more of what I do in the future!" He paused for a second before lowering his head. "Ah- after we figure out what's happening anyway… but then after you'll have to listen, got it?"

He had so many things he wanted to say and express right then and there, but the reminder of the situation made him spew out something else, "Oh y-yeah! That reminds me… um… before we introduced ourselves… you were investigating something here. The centerpiece of the room…?"

"So you were curious about this structure here! I knew it'd catch your eye… but ah-" —in a blink of an eye Koji's demeanor changed to a more stoic expression— "to be fair it's definitely something of an oddity in this room. Way stranger than anything I've come across in this place so far besides these statues here."

Following his gaze, Prince's eyes fell onto four stone warriors. Chained in armor and holding steel spears, they stood guard by a golden pillar that almost seemed to stir in divine light. The statue's appearances were concealed by devilish masks shaped like skulls, but what was left of their eyes pierced through the openings, leaking darkness, showing only a spec of light within them.

"W-Wow… uh… what exactly... is it?" Prince asked, attempting to appear just as casual by the whole situation as the boy. Though he wasn't really succeeding. He could swear he saw the statue's eyes move for a split second,

"The structure is definitely a monolith based on the shape," he muttered under his breath, "and the armor style indicates the statues are samurai from the Edo period I'm sure. But the monolith itself… almost appears to be floating… and the writing sprawled on it, I'm not quite sure what exact type of language it's supposed to mimic."

"Those symbols are words?" Prince asked, his face confused as he stared at the glowing green images scattered on the monolith, "interesting… do you think it's part of... an elaborate art… c-collection... maybe?" He could honestly picture the set piece being located in a museum of some kind.

"I mean… it's not too far-fetched… but I have a strong feeling that it's supposed to be used for something," he theorized.

"Why is that?" Prince asked.

Koji crossed his arms and closed his eyes briefly, "well for starters, it's an ugly large block in the middle of a room. No offense or anything, but I don't see something like that being used as decoration… especially with these symbols..."

"A-Are you sure about that? If this was an art piece, wouldn't it be classified as an abstract structure or s-something? L-Like...there were a t-ton of those in the art gallery I thought.."

"There's an art gallery here...? I uh… didn't go to that yet…" He revealed, "but the fact that it's even separated from the art gallery and is in this room instead is weird, right? Wouldn't that mean this structure isn't classified as an art piece?"

Prince thought deeply on the matter. It did seem like a good point. The structure's purpose could be meant for something in this room, but the only thing that was in there besides the monolith and statues was…

"If it's not for decoration… then I d-did see a metal door over t-there…" He remembered that the group he saw earlier was looking it over. "Could it be somehow connected to that…?"

"That's what I thought as well…" Koji confirmed, "I even saw some similar looking symbols on the frame of the door. But when I went to check it out, somebody in armor turned me away, saying the area was occupied since two students were investigating it."

"Really?" He hurriedly turned over and observed the small group. Sure enough, an armored looking person was guarding some other students. In fact, one of them looked a bit familiar to him as he squinted his eyes. "M-Maybe I could go talk to them so you could inspect it better?"

"I wouldn't recommend it…" Koji messed with part of his jacket as he sighed. "they're a pretty sour bunch, and while I was being turned away, one of them called me rat boy or something like that! I mean come on, in what way do I resemble a rat?!" He gestured to his face, appearing peeved about it, which was definitely understandable in his mind.

"I-I'm not sure…?" Could it have been the dark eyeliner he wore that made them say that? Or the small and soft looking nose taking on a turn-up nasal shape? "In any case, I'm s-sorry t-they said that to you…"

The boy breathed in deeply and shook his head, "it's fine, I don't really care to be honest. All I want to do at this point is just to get back to my workplace. Or just even do my work here. But I can't exactly do that in a place where no one is dying."

"..."

"I-I mean I'm not wishing for anyone to die or anything like that-" He added right after, his expression pressed. "You know what I meant by that, right Prince?"

It probably looked very bad on his part, but he couldn't help but grin and nod at Koji's question, "Y-Yeah… totally…"

"..."

"Hehe, d-dont worry… I promise I'm not being sarcastic or anything…" Prince answered truthfully, turning his gaze back at the monolith, "a-anyways, you said that door had the same symbols as the m-monolith, right?"

"That's what I believe I saw… yes," Koji repeated, "why, are you actually going to convince them this thing could possibly open it? They probably won't listen, you know."

"Well… I think they might if I explain it fast enough… and if it doesn't w-work then um…" —Prince pondered for a moment— "I guess I just… fail…"

"That's… really your plan?" The undertaker rubbed his eyes with one palm wearily, "well you can go over and see if that works out for you. But I'll just stay here and see what else I can find about this thing."

"Alright t-then! I'll see you i-in a second!" Prince quickly slipped away from Koji and headed toward the group, intending to find out the possible connection between the monolith and the door.

He had quickly walked over to where the metal door was positioned in the room. Unlike the royal walls and glass floors in the room, the door was done in cold steel, emitting a pure white glow against the wall that stuck out like a sore thumb. There were dents and marks on the surface, suggesting previous use of some kind that he was unaware of. But the lack of scratches on the floor indicated it had never been open. Furthermore, there was no sight of a doorknob, or any kind of electronic panel to open it.

But there were indeed symbols on the top frame of the door, just like Koji had told him. Their distorted shapes caught Prince's eye immediately, drawing him in as he stepped behind the armored individual from earlier.

Whoever was under it didn't seem to notice him approaching, so in an effort to not startle them, he decided to lightly tap his shoulder and introduce himself, "Um... h-hello the-"

"HALT!"

"W-AAAAAAAUUGG-!" Prince jumped, tripping over his own shoes in the process and tumbling down toward the water. He almost certainly would've been swimming with the fishes below if it had not been for a sudden hand grabbing his arm and pulling him up.

'Yet again… I've fallen for like the tenth time today… is this really what my life has become? Endlessly tripping over the air?'

As his thoughts berated him, a concerned voice from above broke through it, "That was certainly a close disaster avoided. M-My apologies, sir! Are you alright?"

He looked up to find the voice belonged to the armored individual from earlier, covered in plates of metal on his arms, knees, and legs. His face was obstructed by a sleek metal helmet, but Prince imagined a look of distress underneath to explain his worried tone.

"I'm not soaking w-wet so… I-I think I'm okay." A bright blush lit up his cheeks as he began to think over how he must've witnessed that. Did he hear him scream as well? He must have, he was a step away from him after all.

"Are you sure sir? Your face appears to be growing a bright shade of red," the boy pointed out.

"A-Ah- ignore t-that-! I'm okay, I'm okay-" Prince frantically answered, 'Oh god… this is so humiliating…' In an attempt to mask his embarrassment he began to pick himself up, but this just ended up with him slipping even more.

"Ah- please, at least allow me to help you up," the armored boy briskly sheathed his sword and offered him a helping hand. Though embarrassed, Prince decided to take it without hesitation,

"T-Thank you." He nodded as his own hand slipped into the boy's metal gauntlets. With his help, he planted his feet back on the walkway and allowed himself to take a shaky breath, "S-Sorry for sneaking up on y-you… I didn't mean to cause any trouble, I just wanted to see the d-door over here…"

"No, it's quite alright. In actuality, I must apologize for startling you in that way." He wearily sighed and shook his head, the gleam from his helm moving as he did so, "My impulses have once again gotten the best of me. And this is the second time it's happened too. I must control them better in the future."

'S-Second time…? Did that happen to Koji? I thought he was just turned away though…'

He couldn't help but wonder who else had met the other end of this boy's blade before a sharp voice cut off his thoughts, "My god, who in the world is it now, Lukas? Can we not go two seconds without some kind of interruption ruining everything?"

'Oh jeez… this sounds scarily familiar…' Prince nervously thought, thinking back on Amelie and Kanon's conversation, 'now I understand why Koji didn't want to come over here… t-this could be tricky.'

"Calm down will you?" Another voice drly aired, "whatever it is, it's not anything worth wasting that much breath for." For whatever reason, that odd feeling of familiarity returned, as the voice reminded him of someone he had met before. But the echoing chamber and flowing water made it hard to completely discern.

"You're one to talk," the large boy fired back, "considering how much time you wasted over this door. You know it's locked, right genius?" He smugly grinned. "If we had it my way, I'd guarantee you we'd already been out of here by now."

"I find that highly debatable." The boy seemed to shrug off the insult like it was nothing and turned to face the others. Sure enough, his gaze was met with a familiar face of Uta's, whose expression looked more annoyed than anything else.

Should he have been happy to see him, or even more concerned than ever? Prince knew it most likely should've been the latter, but despite that he still found the strength to nervously wave, "U-Um… hey Uta…"

The swordsman didn't respond back. Instead, shaking his head before turning his attention back over to the metal door in front of him. The other boy however looked him up and down, not appearing at all impressed at what he was seeing, "Unbelievable. As if we don't have enough bumbling idiots walking around. Lukas, who is this?"

He had little time to speculate what was happening, as the armored boy, presumably 'Lukas', brought him up to the boy in question. He was much taller than Uta, most likely aided by his very athletic build that made Prince self consciously realize how thin he actually was. Like Amelie, the boy had long blond hair kept in a ponytail, though it exposed his hard looking face that didn't look at all too happy. He had on a black apron, holding a variety of different tools and trinkets in its pockets, as well as a comfortable looking dark red t-shirt underneath it. The color matched his trousers that were tucked into brown leather boots, which seemed affixed with pieces of metal at the toe of the boot, as well as the lower part near the back of the ankle.

"It's another one of our classmates, Albion," Lukas explained swiftly, "we haven't introduced ourselves yet since I accidentally startled him on watch. It was my mistake-"

"Listen, I don't care what happened between you two." He interrupted, putting his hand over a simple white bandage placed on his right cheek. "I want a name from you right now" -he pointed at Prince- "and don't make me repeat myself, understand?"

Not desiring to see that outcome, he nodded quickly as he attempted to clear his throat, "My name is... P-Prince. And my talent… uh… I'm not q-quite sure yet… but I have one… I think."

Albion's pink eyes narrowed, laced together in a nasty expression of judgment, "Prince… so you're the stuttering mess Uta warned me about. Is Grandview just letting nobodies into the academy now?"

His brain failed to block out the last few sentences, leaving him in a perpetual state of silence. It was only numbed by the armored individual suddenly chiming in, "Albion please, It'd be better if we didn't look down on others during our time here."

"I'm just stating my honest opinion," he scoffed, "I mean just what kind of school let's a person like that in? It gives the rest of us who actually worked for our talent a bad name."

How could he respond to that? No answer came to him at first as he tugged on his sweater nervously. That was until he suddenly blurted out, "w-well… what's your talent then?"

Immediately he cringed upon seeing Albion's stern face, "Excuse me?"

Prince's fingers tightened as he spoke, but he tried to ignore the bundle of thoughts building in his head and continued, "I mean… if you're here… then you have a talent r-right? C-Can you tell me?"

'Saying that might've been a major mistake… what even compelled me to do that?'

Albion was silent for a few moments, reexamining Prince closely before scoffing with disinterest, "jeez, kind of question even is that?" He started tiredly rubbing his forehead, clearly frustrated. "Of course I have a talent. If the name Albion Kanzaki didn't ring any bells for you, my title as the Grand Blacksmith should've. Considering what I've done, I'm pretty much known as the best blacksmith in the world!"

"Oh- y-you're a blacksmith?" He let his shoulders relax just a tiny bit.

"Are you deaf? That's just what I said."

"A-Ah- sorry," Prince apologized, "I didn't mean… I was just curious i-in hearing more about it? Do you focus on making just weapons?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, "that's only one area of expertise for me. But it's certainly what I'm most known for. Shields, axes, daggers, arrowheads, and can't forget about swords of course." His smirk grew bigger as he began to count them off one by one. "I create high quality armor as well that can take quite a beating, it can also be adjusted to suit anyone's taste in battle. Of course that's barely scratching the surface in my department."

"T-The surface?" Prince's eyes grew big, 'what else can a blacksmith possibly create?'

"Wipe that wide eyed look off your face, I'm the Grand Blacksmith after all, it's only natural I'm not limited in my field. It's definitely better than having no talent at all unlike some people here."

'And… it comes back to an insult… ouch… I thought he was opening up at least a little bit to me.' Whatever the case was, at least now he understood where that hot-tempered personality came from. Of course he wouldn't dare say that out loud though, "Well it was nice to hear about your work… once we find out what's happening… I-I'd really like to hear more-"

"Yeah, whatever," Albion replied bluntly, "I don't have any more time to waste on you, so just go talk or whatever you were doing before." And just like that the blacksmith returned to working on the metal door with Uta.

With him gone, Prince was left with Lukas, who stood nearby patiently for him, "Prince, correct? I must apologize for Mr. Albion's behavior from before. The circumstances as of now are quite strange, but that in no way should've been reflected back to you in such an indifferent manner. I hope you don't take it too personally."

"Don't worry, I don't tend to hold g-grudges or anything. It was my fault for interrupting you guys…" he sighed, trying to take his mind off the question, "by the way… is it okay if I ask for your name? I-I mean... I assume it's Lukas since Albion said that, but your full name?"

"Of course, allow me to introduce myself fully. I'm Lukas Griffon Powell, known for my work as the Grand Knight. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Prince."

'A Grand… Knight!' His mind echoed the title, as if hearing it over and over again would offer some clarity. But even after that his mouth remained agape, surprised and almost inspired that such a fantastical concept existed in reality for others to hold the title of.

"Is there something the matter Sir Prince?" Lukas inquired, his stance a little tense. His words broke Prince out of his trance as he realized he had been mindlessly staring at him.

"O-Oh no! It's nothing. It's just- you- y-you're a real knight…?" He almost whispered the last few words under his breath.

"Indeed." Was all he said.

His eyes grew wider. "Like… like a knight… from a kingdom?"

Lukas crossed his arms around his chest and nodded, "I was officially recognized after Grandview uncovered my work within my homeland, Baronia."

"Baronia?" He wasn't quite sure, but a tiny ache in his head began to grow as he thought of it. The feeling throbbed and twitched in his head, but he couldn't remember such a place in detail. It definitely didn't sound like it was in Japan though, more like a faraway land in a fantasy book, "s-sounds like an exotic kind of place. H-How did you get found out for y-your talent?"

"Well, it's a very long tale." He tilted his head briefly and let his shoulders relax. "But to summarize for you, my duties to the Theocotta Dynasty allowed me to be recognized by Grandview. Through word of mouth, the stories of my work had somehow traveled to the outer reaches of Japan, so I was invited to attend at once. Knowing how much Grandview improves the performance of their students, I couldn't refuse their offer to join the academy."

"Incredible…" Prince blurted out. Lukas really did seem to fit the role perfectly of a shining knight from a faraway land. The armor and sword, the valiant presence, it was all there to soak in and admire, "to actually be a knight, I-I can definitely think of some people who'd be all over you because of that!"

"All... over me? Pardon me, but what do you mean by that?" Lukas asked. He sounded a bit flustered after hearing that.

"S-Sorry! I meant like… r-really interested in your talent…" Prince clarified, "Machi and Fudo… and maybe Anata as well, cause of her talent. They definitely would like speaking with you I'm sure."

"Ah- I see now, I apologize. I don't think I've introduced myself to those students quite yet. In truth, I've been keeping guard over this door for Uta and Albion for quite some time now. Uta claims that something important must be behind it, possibly something that involves the situation, so I must keep watch to make sure no one interferes with that.."

"So that's why you were standing here, t-that makes sense considering your talent." He nodded to himself and overlooked the door the group was investigating, "you k-know… I-I might have a possible solution to open that door… at least I think so."

"Is that true?" Lukas questioned appearing surprised at the statement, "if you don't mind sharing, what solution may that be? I'm sure Uta would be honored to receive that-"

"You're talking about that monolith, right?" Uta suddenly voiced.

Prince's heart jumped as the swordsman turned and faced him with a steely gaze, "did you honestly think we didn't consider that possibility? The symbols clued us in to the fact that they're somehow connected almost immediately, but as to how exactly that fact can be used to open the door is unknown."

"O-Oh… n-never mind then… sorry…" he sheepishly apologized, "I guess t-that was a dead end… huh?"

"That appears to still be the case then," Lukas remarked, appearing just as disappointed, "the symbols do clearly mean something I'm sure, but we have no way to decode them to find out how they're related to opening this door."

"It also cannot be opened by force," Uta continued, "even with all three of us attempting to do so together. There doesn't appear to be any sort of way to unlock it either with the watches, at least for now."

'Not even with our watches?' His mind echoed, causing him to glance at it briefly on his arm, 'you'd think if someone put these on us, it'd be used to unlock everything here. But so far it seems like it only opens the gym… and that's it.'

"This sure was a big help to progress our escape," Albion sarcastically voiced, "you know we could've been out of here if you'd just reach that conclusion earlier, instead of focusing so much on this pointless door."

"It's not pointless," Uta declared, his eye fixated on it closely, "at first glance this door may seem like nothing, but in reality, you can infer many different things by it's existence. Its material and construction can clue us in on a possible location. Its design can suggest what potential room it leads to. And of course, you can discover the personality of a future foe from its placement."

"Y-You can figure out a-all that from just a door?" Prince stuttered, not at all being able to keep up with his train of thought. "W-Why would you need t-to do that though?"

"I wouldn't expect someone as simple-minded as you to truly understand," he dismissed, "everything around you matters if you want to clue in on an enemy's motives, goals, and weaknesses. It's for this reason that this door and the locked entrance are so important. For something as eye catching as then to be thrown out in the open, with no way for either of them to be unlocked. It makes me wonder who exactly is trying to toy with us in this situation."

He spoke the last few words with deep suspicion. Though his voice was hushed in tone, it was loud enough to vibrate into Prince's ears. Someone toying with them? Was that why this door was out here? And he had also spoken of another door. The entrance?

"W-What's wrong with the entrance? Isn't that in…" A piece in Prince's mind suddenly lit up. "Ah- the foyer? Is the door there really locked?"

Uta nodding briefly to confirm his question, "after I left you and Jun, I went straight there to confirm it for myself. I doubted it would be easy to leave given everything we've seen, and sure enough despite my efforts, it remained locked. And this door also appears to be unyielding... for now."

His heart began to pound faster and faster as Uta continued, "t-there's no way that's true right? Because… G-Grandview has to be behind this s-so, it'd have to be unlocked so we all could leave if we wanted to."

"How would you know?" Uta asked coldly, "you can barely remember your own talent, much less anything important."

"W-Well-" Prince wouldn't know. He was taking a huge leap in logic to assume Grandview was behind this. But- what other answer could he think of? "M-Maybe these are the dorms," he nervously tried to explain, "not a manor like we thought. That could be a possibility right?"

"True, but if you follow that line of thinking, it opens up many problems," Lukas speculated, "for instance, why would Grandview do something as suspicious as this? To lock twenty freshmen inside their own building with no explanation? It would not look good on the academy's part I'm afraid."

He began thinking deeply for an answer that would make some semblance of sense, "perhaps… u-um… because of the storm outside?" He perked up. "It would keep us safe from the elements…"

"Are you that dense? If you were observant enough to see the blizzard, then you should've seen we're in the middle of nowhere as well!" Albion harshly rebuked.

Prince stood in heavy silence, attempting to churn up different possibilities that could explain Grandview's involvement. But like everything else, his mind drew a blank. He didn't want to think of a darker alternative, but everything was lining up for some reason to feel like one. For the situation to be not caused by Grandview, "b-but by someone else?" He suddenly blurted out, his thoughts coming out slowly from his mouth, "t-that doesn't necessarily mean… they have b-bad intentions, right?"

"What about that note with clearly sinister undertones? Or our lack of knowledge over how we got here, and these stupid badges on our clothes?" -The blacksmith began to tug on his aggressively, but it didn't snap off his apron- "I don't know about you, but I wouldn't trust whoever is locking us in here with my damn life, especially in this shady environment."

"The person behind this is likely whoever the owner of this place is," Uta continued, pulling out the letter in hand, "that's why I'm so interested in this door… It reveals so much about this… colorful… individual. It shows me they like to hide secrets in plain sight, disguised in a way we cannot solve as they anonymously watch from the cameras. And any attempts to escape that cycle leads to the revelation of us being trapped here completely."

"So… w-what does this confirm?" Prince asked. But deep down, he felt as if he already knew the answer before Uta said anything.

"Why, they're playing with their food of course…" he informed with a haunted glow, "right before the main event… the Coronation… where they'll finally go in for the kill. Whatever form that kill takes will be revealed soon… but it will come… in one way or another..

Despite the clearly sinister words crawling out of his mouth, he didn't even look lightly troubled by the idea of something bad happening. To Prince, it felt as though he was actually ready for the possibility in some sort of way. But was that truly it? This situation had felt off, but was it truly as sketchy as Uta laid it out to be? He didn't know. He truly struggled to comprehend anything he had learned. What was Grandview? What were they getting into now? Why couldn't he remember anything?

"N-No... that isn't-" he stuttered

'There must be something else at play here… this can't be that bad of a situation like they said... right?'

"Go to the foyer."

"W-What?" His face paled a tiny bit, as Uta had trained his attention to him completely.

"Go to the foyer and confirm what I said for yourself," he ordered, "that will put an end to whatever thoughts you're battling against."

"U-Uta… what do y-you-" But he stopped short as he noticed his single purple eye glaring at him.

It looked as cold as it always had been, but now truly focused, as if this was the first time Uta was truly taking him in, "make your own conclusion on the matter. Whether it's right or wrong I don't care, but this indecisiveness… it's so weak willed I can't bear it. So go, I won't say it again."

He stepped away, unsure of what to say in response as the swordsman turned his back on him. Was this… Uta's way of encouraging him for once? Or was this his usual cold nature? Could it have been both? Prince couldn't tell, but he knew he had to confirm it, just as he said. To see it with his eyes, if everyone was locked in here… or possibly trapped here against their will.

"Okay… I'll go then," Prince confirmed aloud, silencing his brain completely, "I'll see what I find and… I'll try to accept my thoughts."

Uta didn't turn around to respond, and Albion seemed far too annoyed to care. But Lukas nodded in their stead, "Understood then. If you'll allow it, would you like for me to accompany you? If needed of course," he offered graciously, "I know where the foyer is located, as it's not too far from here."

"T-That's so kind," Prince smiled, but he couldn't help but look back at the duo near the door, "but… don't Uta a-and Albion need you?"

"I believe my duties here are no longer required," Lukas explained, "knowing Uta's talent, he definitely possesses the qualities I still strive to achieve in order to protect himself and Albion. But you don't have anyone like that beside you, and there is much we don't know about this location quite yet."

"O-Oh-!" He breathed out and nervously thought over the idea before shaking his thoughts away. No need to overthink this, the decision was definitely easy he decided, "Well, I'd… r-really like the extra company... so... yeah… if y-you're okay with it, Lukas."

"Thank you Prince, I'll help you in any way I can!" Lukas promised. Though the resolute nature of his voice made it harder to picture, Prince imagined he had a smile on his face underneath the helmet. The thought made him nervously smile back. "Is... there something on my helmet Prince?"

"A-Ah! Sorry, I was just gazing off into nothing…"

Together, Prince and Lukas traveled to the center of the room where the monolith stood. He looked around briefly, but didn't see Koji present. He concluded he most likely left by the time he had gotten halfway through with the others, but he still wished he had waited a little longer for him. Nonetheless, he was still hopeful that they would reunite by the time they left the room.

And right back into the clutches of the manor, to confirm what he might've known deep, deep down.

---

"Walk along these silent steps."

"Walk along alone."

"Walk forever beneath the depths."

"Walk forever alone."

---

Figures

---

His muttering echoed through the halls, his sharp gauntlets tight as he held the crack in his head back. Further back. As far as he could manage to push it.

There were too many familiarities here, there, everywhere that he couldn't ignore, couldn't escape from. Each room brought its own set of voices. Only one room, this room, was where he could get away and wait. Where the freshly drenched walls shimmer. Where the worn glass shuttered at the touch of his boots. The temperature was so cold that even the air began to freeze, causing the mist around him to thicken into an oppressive mass. It almost could pass on as a place he belonged in, perfectly in harmony in this jagged black mass that he breathed in deeply enough to steel his senses.

It wasn't enough however. He could only think back on that one conversation. The same one that made his fist turn red as he sat around in complacent silence. He didn't think he had a problem with it, but he couldn't help but mutter his own words back to himself. Just why was that so? He couldn't even begin to comprehend it.

"There's nothing that can be done surely-? Could you even think of some way-" The thought made him rage. Turning his head into a blinding red that he clutched onto tightly until it subsided.

The hell could it have been? Nothing to worry about surely. But then why were those voices bouncing around all the time? Light. Dark. Happy. Sad. So goddamn many he could barely count them in his sleep. And yet that one stood out far more than the others. A voice broken, scratching his soul. So close but so far away.

The one thing that could keep his mind off it was almost about to begin, but the whole game was taking too damn long for him. He took a few giant steps forward and back, and then a few more before the gleam in his armor faded away from the light. In a moment, everything else vanished from him, and only the door became apparent. He was surrounded by nothing but pure black.

It rolled around within his suit, piercing his gaze until it was all he could even fathom. This was the feeling he missed. The release, the dread. It had been so long since he wanted to grasp at something like this and hold it for a moment. Wield it for just a second. To be robbed of such a chance. He didn't know how much longer he could bear it if that voice kept yapping on.

"Pay attention- this could be the matter of-"

A distorted pause.

"Show it to me- I want to see it be-"

A crack on his helm.

"You're meant to lose it- that's the tru-"

It was like he had said before. In the places he's been to, the darkness was always a reality. But here, it was forever a concept, an inkling of some certain horror that had happened before. He could tell because... well, he wasn't quite sure. But here, he could understand it.

It was just like the boss said. This place, it was a relic of something long forgotten, and all of it had to be kept within this perfect confide of misery. Once the cycle starts, he could already imagine the picture becoming clear to him, the pieces falling into place just as intended. It was killing him to wait for this long. To hear these stupid voices over and over again.

"Nikuya! Be careful or you'll-"

"SHADDUP ALREADY-!"

He slammed his fist into the wall and a painting snapped underneath. It didn't really matter, he quickly grabbed the weapon of choice and got ready to move. For a moment, he could feel something return within his hollow armor, but he aggressively shook it off and began to hunt.

It was only five minutes earlier than intended, but it was enough for the others to wake up and explore anyway. Besides, he was done sitting around. To hell with patience, he was going to start this game now.

Anything to get the voices to stop

---

{Author's Note}

Yeah uh... I'm back... I apologize for the long wait. This author's note has recently been added since I wanted to get the chapter out as soon as I could without the extra filler, so hopefully everyone enjoyed it! I also hadn't completely finished all the songs I wanted to post on the chapter, so the lack of the (OST) prompts are probably noticeable. Now, truthfully I really struggled with the initial structure of the chapter, and I didn't feel it was post worthy until now. Of course this being fanfiction and all, I don't want to fill this author's note to be filled with excuses or anything for my absence, since this is all just for fun and I probably won't do anything like this in the future without announcing it at least, but I still hope this chapter provides for everyone in many different ways. I have a crystal clear direction for where I want to take this cast, and I'm so excited to show it to all of you!

With that being said, please finally welcome to the story Aimi Sakai, Luna Phillips, Amaya Shirai, Stefano Alexeev, Hagoromo Mae, Koji Yabusaki, Albion Kanzaki, and Lukas Griffon Powell! With the roster finally revealed, I'm so interested to see what you all think of the actual written forms of the characters and your interpretation on them! In my own opinion these characters were really fun to write, and I actually had most of their intros written out before just... not posting for 8 months. I hope they were worth the wait!

I've said this before, but there is also a discord for the story that most of the characters creators and others are in to just talk and fun, or discuss things on the server. If you wish, the link is still on my profile for anyone to join, but of course it's all optional!

Now do not fret since I won't vanish again for a bit since it's summer for me, so as an estimate for when you might expect the next chapter? Most likely mid July at least, or late at most. I wanna try and keep a schedule now, so this is going to be my attempt at publishing at least one chapter every two weeks. That... probably won't happen knowing me... but I at least wanna get the prologue done before August. Whatever happens though, I just want you all to know how grateful I am of you sticking around, and especially those of you who are sticking around just to read the story without any characters in it. Seriously it means the world to me that so many people are paying attention to my work, and I hope I'll be able to live up to the hype surrounding it, at least a little bit.

Alright enough of me sobbing my eyes out, thank you so much for tuning in, and hopefully see you all soon!

Take Care

CandleFire45