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.

5. Fading Time (Prologue 4)

{Author's Note} Ok this took way longer then it needed to, but I've finished these author's notes for the chapter- T-T I don't usually post them until after the chapters out now because now I'm more concerned with getting the chapter out faster, but yeah… uh… here's the author's note for this chapter if you were waiting for it. Shout out once again to Sempi who graced me enough with another beta read for this ungodly long chapter ~O-O~ (Also sorry, there's still no new songs done :( )

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Scarlet Passage Of Time

Prologue 4

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"Demons reaching for our souls."

"With you lost and me left to atone."

"Trapped forever in a cage of your creation."

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Fading Time

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The moment he stepped out into the halls once more, Prince's body began to relax, as if had been released from the suffocating atmosphere of the bizarre room.

"What a relief…" he mumbled, instinctively rubbing his tired face. He hadn't realized how worn down he felt, despite waking up only thirty minutes or so ago. Perhaps the strangeness of everything was wearing him out, especially after seeing that metal door and hearing Uta's story over the locked entrance.

He closed his eyes tightly at the thought of it. He wanted to deny that possibility with every fiber of his being. He wanted to believe Grandview was setting up some big surprise and they were on campus grounds somehow. He wanted to believe he somehow belonged with these people… And yet the swordsman's words kept echoing in the back of his head like a ghost.

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"Make your own conclusion on the matter, right or wrong I don't care, but this indecisiveness... it's so weak willed I can't bear it…"

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That's what he had said to him and what stuck out so much in his head. Was he really that indecisive? He did tend to second guess himself… but...

'No! That's not important right now…' He shook his head widely and energy instantly returned to him, 'what matters is figuring out what's happening and getting everyone together… that's what I need to focus on…' Confidence surged through him as he reinforced his proper mindset back into his head.

Of course, it was taken just as fast when he remembered he wasn't the only one traveling in the halls.

Standing by his side was Lukas, who simply stared at him. His expression was impossible to read through the helmet, but his uneasy silence was enough to clue Prince in that he was concerned. The uneasiness was enough for him to blurt out, "w-what's up Lukas?" He hoped maybe saying anything would divert the attention off his nervous demeanor, "is there something on m-my face?"

The knight briefly looked him up and down, studying him maybe. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Was he sizing him up? Or trying to get a read of him?

Unfortunately, he did not get such an answer. Instead, Lukas simply said, "I must ask, are you tired, Sir Prince? Your posture appears to be growing a bit tipsy," he explained, pointing a finger at him, "you're fighting to stay awake by shaking your head, and you appear to be deep in thought about something, which can leave you susceptible to attacks."

"Oh…" He sheepishly rubbed his neck and sighed, "sorry… I didn't r-realize I looked spaced out or anything..."

"No it's fine, I've heard that our group has woke up some time ago, so it's natural for the effects of sleep to still take hold of most of us-" Prince thought back to Luna as the knight said that and how sleep-deprived she appeared to look "-for some ways to remedy this, I suggest keeping your body in constant movement, or wake your mind by starting a conversation."

"A conversation?" A smile lit up upon Prince's face, "well, hey... I mean we're doing both of t-those things already, so, that's good, right?" He remarked with a grin.

"Indeed," Lukas nodded, seemingly following along closely to his words, "I hope those tips will be of some use to you in the future. Of course, I'll still remain vigilant, so you may not worry over someone attacking you while I'm on watch."

Prince was sure he made some kind of face to that comment because Lukas instantly looked away. Feeling embarrassed from that, he forced himself to say, "hey… I know I don't r-really know you and all… but I doubt a-anything is going to a-attack us here. You can relax if you want to Lukas." He stopped in place and provided his full attention to the knight, "besides, um… w-we're all working together! At least most of us are anyway… so… you don't have to handle all the w-workload yourself."

A silence overcame Lukas then, allowing the hall to buzz and float in uncertainty. The knight's helmet blocked everything from Prince, but he wondered if now he was thinking over his words deeply, perhaps closing his eyes or pressing his lips tightly together to concentrate. Nothing was revealed emotionally to him, but a sudden breath from Lukas broke the unending stillness between them.

"I see then… I'll try to be more relaxed as you put it, but I will still protect all of you, no matter what happens in the future. You can count on that." And that was that. A determined nod solidified the knight's words, and he pressed forward with Prince close behind.

There was a sense of confidence and truth to Lukas's words, one that Prince slowly churned over in his mind. It held an air of power, assuring that he was on the right train of thought. One of hope and trust. Perhaps it was Lukas's being as a knight that made those words feel more impactful, but even then he felt there was something more to them. And Prince kept those words in mind as the two grew closer and closer to the foyer.

It happened right then. So unexpectedly after taking four steps away from the misshapen statues along the wall. An archway appeared before them, decorated in dark woods much like the floor. No door remained, only an opening which the hall flowed into. It revealed a large room, seemingly big enough to support all twenty of them, and it appeared to have two stories, at least from where he was standing. Knowing the manor's size already, it could've easily had more.

No one seemed like they were waiting inside the foyer, however, leaving the place still in a lengthy silence that shook the walls around. "So… this is where the foyer is..." Prince mumbled aloud, glancing at the knight carefully. He wondered if he felt unnerved by the silence as well.

"That is correct," Lukas remarked, taking a bold step into the area, "Uta and I had investigated the area previously but found nothing of note. If you wish to explore, however, I will stand by on watch."

"A-Ah that's fine…" he reassured, still hoping to not burden the knight too heavily, "I only came here to confirm what Uta said anyway… it should be q-quick." But even as he said that his chest began to burn heavily at the idea of someone else keeping them there for some unknown purpose.

Determined once more, he focused back on Lukas who stepped into a feverishly ornate room of circular design. He noted that there was barely any furniture in the room, with only a single portrait draped in red curtains as an exception. Its spacious size gave way to a lavish double staircase, which much like the walls was done in rich dark wood. It traveled up to the second floor where a balcony overlooking the room could be seen. Decorated columns of celestial fashion traveled up to the balcony and curved ceiling, highlighting a large red chandelier that dangled crimson jewels in the hazy light of the windows.

It was all very elegant, grandiose in design and style as the rest of the manor thus far. And yet he felt concerned standing in the center of the hall. He couldn't put his finger on why, but it felt darker than before. What little lighting did exist was blocked by the heavy wood that groaned under the weight of something unseen. He pulled on his ears, believing it to be a trick of the mind, but the groaning still lingered, the sounds of… distant troubles. Rotting wood? But everything seemed up to date, at least until now.

He breathed in deeply and stepped close to Lukas, "is there something troubling you Sir Prince?" At this point, he concluded that Lukas could just read his mind… or at least his expressions very easily.

"Erm… I'm not sure… this place is kinda… messing with my head I guess… " He confessed, quickly adding a laugh to ease himself, "it doesn't matter though, u-um... where's that door Uta was talking about?"

A quick survey of the area answered the question instantly. Besides the rough-looking windows, all of them coated in ice was a door as tall as a giant. Its surface almost blended into the walls, but if he squinted hard enough he could see it standing there, seemingly daring him to open it. It took every ounce of his being to not ram the door and break it down, even though it would've been impossible given his size.

As for why that urge suddenly came to him? He tried to push it out of his mind and calmly walked over, only carrying the hope with him that Grandview was indeed behind everything.

But then he stood frozen, far more confused now that he was seeing it up close. There was no handle to grab, no keyhole or anything really. The only thing on the door was a window shaped like a star on it, allowing a faint ray of light to hit his face.

"This is… different from what I was expecting…" He furrowed his brow and attempted to look for a knob or something to grip. No such thing revealed itself to his bewilderment, "Lukas… what… what is this?"

"… It's… the door… Sir Prince?"

"W-Well I know that…" he stammered, lightly stroking his chin, "but there's nothing here. No lock or anything. There's not even any hinges." 'So how in the world does this thing open then?' He breathed in deeply and attempted to push against its surface, not wanting to give up so easily. But despite his best efforts, it didn't budge to his will.

"Do you require my assistance?" Lukas approached and rubbed his gauntlet hands together, seemingly ready to help at a moment's notice.

"Ah… n-no… you don't need to if you want…" Prince reassured, growing more flustered with each word, "I can do it… p-please hold on a second." But given his size, he definitely… definitely knew he couldn't.

"Are you certain?" Lukas repeated, and once more Prince nodded.

"Y-Yeah… definitely…!" Not.

But he was determined not to give in just yet. He attempted to push against it once more, using all of his fragile strength while his breaths rapidly escaped him. A few seconds passed, then a minute, and then a defeated groan left Prince's mouth, "h-how is this classified as a locked entrance? There isn't even a door to lock o-or grab onto..."

"It's possible it was designed this way deliberately," Lukas voiced nearby, still on guard as Prince struggled against the door, "this way, no one could leave, just like Sir Uta informed us." His heart skipped a beat at the reminder of Uta. Was it true then? Did someone design it this way so nothing could be done? Was Grandview messing with them? And if not them… who? And why? And how exactly…? Were they really stuck in here…?

He detached himself from the door and laughed. No. No this time there was no need to jump to conclusions, there was still much to investigate after all. He just had to remain positive like Machi and Amaya. As long as he did that… he knew for sure things would turn out alright. That was all he needed to do.

"I guess this is a dead-end then…" he announced, rubbing his arm slowly as he walked over to the knight, "sorry for wasting your t-time on this… I should've expected things not to be easy right away."

"Please do not alarm, I wanted to come with you after all," Lukas reassured with a steady hand, "I must ask though, did this confirm anything for you?"

He paused for a moment, going over his thoughts carefully before blurting, "well… I think you're right about the door. I-It's clearly designed to just keep us inside. Most likely due to the storm outside I h-hope."

"That would make sense in this circumstance," Lukas agreed, "everyone I've introduced myself to appears ill-equipped to handle the weather as of now. But that would leave us with the question of the individual keeping us here…"

"It s-still could be Grandview I-I think…" He hoped so at least. Any other answer he felt would raise even more questions for which he didn't have the brainpower to guess, "Machi did say they usually throw big events for each n-new class… maybe this could be their way of celebrating for us?"

"Is that… so?" Lukas questioned. He paused and scanned the area, his movements slow as he suddenly gripped the hilt of his sword, "Grandview does similar things like this?"

'W-Why is he going for the s-sword all of a sudden?' With a nervous swallow, Prince nodded, "y-yeah… or at least that's w-what Machi told me anyway. Do… t-they not do that-?"

Lukas's attention snapped to him and he suddenly let his hands drop, "oh… no I'm sure they do. It's just... when I researched about the academy on my own accord, nothing of the sort seemed to pop up like that-" a sigh escaped him and he shook his head "-of course I presume that's because I gathered my knowledge through word of mouth instead of… um…" He stopped right then, holding his head in silence as if he was somehow… embarrassed? It did just sound like he was hesitant to speak just then.

"Why didn't you use the internet? Word of mouth certainly s-sounds… uh…" He definitely didn't want to say 'old fashioned' despite it immediately coming to mind. Instead, he settled with, "like... a l-lot of work just to find some information, but not in a bad way!" He clarified, "I mean… all of us are doing the same here now while l-looking for clues."

'Was that worse? That sounded worse probably…'

"It's just what I'm... used to... but there is no need for you to worry about me," Lukas answered, his authoritative voice returning,"besides, it appears we have company approaching."

'Wait- c-company-?'

"Unbelievable! That's all you have to offer for me? You're just telling me meaningless things I already know!"

"I already told you, I know next to nothing about what's happening either. How about you go look around yourself, I don't have time for this-"

"You don't have time for this? Such insolence. I granted you a rare opportunity to communicate with someone as grand as I, and you dare value my time as nothing but a footnote?!"

'Oh no… here we go again…' Prince thought sadly, breathing in deeply to prepare himself for the next few minutes of abuse they were to face. The voice thankfully didn't belong to Amelie, as it was more medium in pitch, but the conversation did already sound frighteningly familiar to a few ones he had previously.

He shifted his attention to a trio of students just as Lukas had done. Two of them were briskly walking down the stairs, while the other student sat on the steps seemingly lost in their own world. To his surprise, Prince quickly noticed that Koji was the one conversing with the other student.

'So this is where he went after leaving the Monolith… what's he doing now?'

The two unknown students were both girls. The one dressed in a more comfortable outfit was the one silently watching the argument unfold below between Koji and the fancily dressed girl, who fiercely talked with a scowl painted on her heart-shaped face.

"And where exactly do you think you're going, hm?" She called out, her voice exuding a certain air of superiority, "need I remind you of what you've done? The least you could do is inform me of the situation, or would you rather me cast you out with nothing at all?"

'Yikes-! What did Koji do to make her so heated? It's only been a few minutes since we've seen each other…' a regrettable sigh escaped him as he watched Koji take on insult after insult from the girl, "we have to go break that up…" Prince declared, hoping Lukas would nod in agreement and venture to break up the fight together.

Except the knight wasn't next to him. Instead, in a blink of an eye, Lukas had magically made his way over and began mediating the situation without him.

Realizing what was about to happen next, he made his way over to the group as well, attempting to think of what to say to the girl. She seemed just as prideful as Albion, but just as cold as Kanon, with an even harsher tone than Amelie.

There could not be an even worse combination….

'Please give me strength to make it through this…' he wearily thought as he finally made his way up to them, "ah… hello… can we help you g-guys with something…?" he uttered nervously, eyeing Koji carefully. The undertaker's face, though unwavering in its stoic expression, relaxed for a split second as if relieved at the intervention. The girl however, seemed anything but relaxed, as she glared at the duo.

"Hmm? And who are you to be? Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?" the girl said as she crossed her arms. Now that Prince was closer, he noticed how similar they both were in height, though that was where any similarities seemed to end. Her hair was done in black and white, tied in a loose bun with a transparent red ribbon, and she had an hourglass-shaped figure that made her stand out from the rest of the students.

"We apologize for interrupting, Miss," Lukas said as he inserted himself between the two, "we walked in a few moments ago and overheard you talking. Is there something troubling you?"

"It's beyond troubling, I'm surrounded by a full-blown circus act," the girl casually mentioned, showing no hint of care for her hurtful words, "it's bad enough no one here has a crumb of fashion sense to speak of, but they act just as ridiculous as they dress, it's embarrassing." She briefly grazed her smooth chin with a careful finger and studied Prince with disdain in her yellow eyes. "Tck- for example, I think I've just encountered someone who seems to mimic roadkill more than anything else."

'Ouch… now that was a lot of damage…' But despite the gaping hole in his broken heart, he stood straight and spoke calmly, trying to think back onto what Amaya or Machi would say, "I-I'm sorry you think of my outfit that way… b-but- if… what I'm hearing is true… your talent has something to do with clothing… right? So maybe your tips could help me out…?"

The girl looked him over, narrowed her eyes, and slowly positioned her hands on her hips, "you wish to learn of my talent? Hmph, what foolishness. Do you, a stranger, expect me to introduce myself so easily and freely? You must be naive, even more naive than a spoiled brat themself."

"I just mean that um… I understand if you're distrustful of everyone, but it'd be better to at least have everyone be on the same page in terms of introductions… watch… I can go first…" and so Prince quickly introduced himself, breezing over his lack of memory which the girl simply raised a single brow to.

She stood silently for a moment, an annoyed look painted on her golden face before she acknowledged the group's existence once more, "... I see. You're very suspicious clearly… but I suppose I will entertain you with a few seconds worth of my time. My name is Xiuying Akatsuki, though you'll refer to me as Ms. Akatsuki. Xiuying is reserved for those who meet my standards and you are not worth that." She smiled smugly as she emphasized each word with a flick of her finger. "Ah, but, feel free to refer to me as the goddess of fashion and design, for you may know me as the Grand Fabric Pattern Maker."

Prince's brain lit up as soon as he heard her talent, now understanding her sense of formality and style toward the group. Though he had very little experience in… high-end fashion, he knew enough to know that Xiyuing's outfit was anything but simple, as expected of a grand student in her field. Her stunning attire was a traditional mixture composed of a sleeveless qipao-kimono, the fabric tight-fitted and built off the qipao, with kimono patterns etched to the dress itself. Her top, highlighted by her bust, held black patterns of sakura blossoms, and another by the bottom of where the red of the skirt ended. Her shoulders and arms were exposed, but she still had deep red sleeves that were connected together, acting as a sort of cape for her, with dark sakuras etched exclusively on the right.

A black ribbon tied around her chest was done with yellow in the middle, however below it was dark red gradients. The top of the dress itself was split off above the bust with maroon, and then held with the collar, being nothing more than a black one with a ribbon in the middle. The part where he assumed the right breast pocket would be was replaced with an embroidered badge, much like everyone else's, except it had a mixture of sakura blossoms and water lilies etched to the badge.

Finally hidden underneath the dress and split by the bottom was the purple end of the skirt, which revealed her dark red stockings that tracked up to her knees with purple lines. Her left one held two on the top that was horizontal, while the right held only one that was vertical. He followed the vertical line down to her shoes, with the bottoms seemingly modified as one-inch platform heels, presumably from Mary Janes.

It was such a complex, yet regal looking outfit that really put into perspective how underdressed Prince felt in her wake. His outfit was more akin to the girl that sat nearby watching the whole exchange, which was very baggy and comfortable looking.

"Well Ms. Akatsuki," he calmly voiced, "it is a pleasure to be your acquaintance." The Knight then politely introduced himself and his talent to a still bored Xiuying before taking a small bow, "I do hope in the future that we'll be able-"

"No no, that is quite enough out of you tin can," Xiyuing casually insulted, "introductions are finished, and I have no need for idle chit chat with you heathens. If the rat over there" —she pointed harshly to Koji— "can just tell me what he knows, then all of you will do you, and I'll do me, does that sound fair?" She perked up and smiled at the group as she said the last words, though it was obviously sounded fake in delivery.

With a huff Koji closed his eyes and spoke in an aggravated tone, "ignoring your comment, I already told you everything I know. And besides, I only accidentally bumped into you, I wasn't personally attacking you or anything. I was just trying to wait for the Coronation to start, I had no idea you were in here."

"Wait a second, so you're waiting for the Coronation to start?" Prince instinctively checked the watch on his person to see if it was time for the event," but... there's more time left though… you could still explore if you wanted to."

"I obviously know that," Koji quickly corrected, surveying the area and breathing in deeply, "it's just well, once this thing starts, it will give us all the answers we're looking for. So I wanted to see what those were…" He glanced at Prince's eyes for a moment before adding, "and I also wanted to get a spot in the room before everyone gathered here…"

"I see… so you are also waiting for the Coronation as well Ms. Akatsuki?" Lukas asked.

Xiuying silently studied the knight and begrudgingly nodding, "I made my way here first once I had explored enough, and then that... girl... came in after me…" Xiuying pointed at the quiet girl on the steps, her sharp eyes squinting slightly as she did so before snapping her gaze back on the trio, "I didn't get much info from her, so I left her be and decided to wait for the Coronation," she continued, "and while I was waiting for it, this buffoon bumped into me, as if he had no sense of his surroundings! I decided if he doesn't want to be forced out back into the manor where that supposed monster walks, he'll tell us what he knows in exchange."

"W-Wait, monster…?" Prince echoed, turning his focus entirely onto Koji, "what does she mean by that…? Koji…?"

The undertaker crossed his arms, his face becoming sharper than it already was. The effect was brief, but despite the lack of emotion present on his face, Prince could tell there was something definitely bugging Koji… far more than he could've anticipated.

'If it's bugging him enough that he's forcing himself to stay here… then that means… is he talking about-?' "The note we all received at the start? Is that what's bugging you?" Prince guessed.

"Nothing can bug me Prince," Koji declared with a swift wave of his hand, "I'm just taking precaution because it said there was something that would 'collect' us if we didn't arrive in time for the Coronation," he explained carefully, his eyes unmoving as he spoke, "whatever this something is… it was described as a behemoth… so I don't want to take any chances, it's as simple as that."

A small laugh that actually sounded quite light escaped the fabric maker as she stared at Koji in disbelief, "please and you actually believed that?"

"No-" Koji clarified, his expression hardening, "I don't believe in stuff like that. It's like I said, I don't want to take my chances here. The foyer feels like the safest place because of that, and if we wait for the Coronation to start here, we might get answers of course, but also not need to see whatever's out there… even if the note is lying, I don't want to be so careless as to not heed its warnings at all."

Prince gears turned in his head, thinking back on his time in the manor. There were a few occasions where he felt as if something was indeed watching him, but he just assumed those were the cameras everywhere. In fact, that's probably what it was. But there was also the feeling of… something else… watching. A familiar… almost ghostly feeling of someone keeping tabs on them. If he wasn't the only one that felt that way… could it really just be a feeling anymore?

"Ugh-" Xiuying groaned, "now that you've gotten all of that off your chest, mind telling me what I need to know before I literally throw you out there with whatever pathetic monster you believe in."

"So that's why you were arguing before," Lukas concluded, bringing Prince back to reality, "Ms. Akatsuki, I apologize for intruding earlier, but I've compiled quite a bit of information since I've awoken. Perhaps instead of Sir Koji, I can share it with you instead, if you wish to hear it."

"That's what I've literally been asking for this whole time!" Xiuying groaned, "fine, I fully intend to hear everything. And you're not leaving my sight either you rat."

"I just can't escape it at this point… but fine, whatever," Koji groaned. But despite his annoyance, the three of them quickly got to conversing with each other, leaving Prince to his own devices and thoughts.

'Even though Koji said it didn't bother him… he clearly was influenced by that note saying something is roaming out there… is that true?' He rolled this thought in his mind before paying notice to the girl in the stairs, 'Xiuying said that girl d-didn't reveal much to her, but... I wonder if she's here for the same reason as everyone?'

He decided to walk up to her and give a small wave, "hello there… are you waiting for the Coronation as well?" He already knew she was, but it could've been a good chance to strike a conversation with someone who seemed so quiet. He didn't get the luxury of a reaction, however. "Okay then… "A little embarrassed, he sat down next to her… hoping that would get her to say something.

Nope. Nothing at all.

The silence between them was nauseating, forcing Prince to stare at his shoes as he tried to think of what to say. She didn't seem very interested in speaking with him, but seeing as they were alone and she also had the same badge that everyone else had, he knew eventually they had to introduce themselves. He wasn't very opposed to the idea, but the girl definitely didn't look too phased being near his proximity.

Eventually, with a small cough into his arm, he spoke, "um, guess it's just us then…" he nervously smiled and looked at the girl's downturned eyes. They were dark brown in color, almost black just like his, and they were pointed right at the floor as she nodded in response. 'Off to a great start… uh… what to say next…'

As he thought it over, he took the moment of silence to observe her further. Her skin was a natural light brown, similar to Prince, with a smooth and soft texture. Her eyebrows and lips are evenly straight, as well as similarly petite like her nose. She has a v-shaped face with some slight chubbiness to her cheeks. In terms of clothing, she wore a very comfortable outfit that was simplistic in nature. To start she wore a hijab shaded purple, the color slightly matching her oversized turtleneck which Prince felt was much darker. Her skirt that reached down a few inches above her ankles were styled black, much like her standard heeled boots that pushed her height slightly above Prince's poor head. He tried not to dwell too much on how another soul in this place was taller than him and focused instead on her glasses, which were in a circular shape like Anata's.

'She kinda reminds me of her… minus the red hair and different colored eyes….' He thought slowly as he examined her.

"What…?"

"H-Huh-?" Prince suddenly froze as the girl briefly turned his way. Her eyes were still pointed toward the floor, but she was clearly gesturing toward him.

"Why… are you staring…? That's weird…" she pointed out, a worried look present on her face.

"A-Ah- I'm s-sorry- I didn't mean to... ah-" He quickly looked down again and mentally slapped himself. The thought of her just noticing him just blankly examining him made him nervously rub his arm, "yeah… s-sorry for that." He was silent for a moment before asking, "um… I'm Prince…"

"I heard," she confessed bluntly, "I was right there… you know."

'I am MASSIVELY messing this up-' He coughed into his arm and laughed, "right…" He pressed his hands tightly together, trying to think of a way to not confuse her even more. "Um… do you mind… telling me y-your name?"

For the first time, the girl looked up briefly and met his eye, now aware of his presence. She still looked worried in Prince's eyes, so he quickly added, "I-If you want to of course… I can just… get the info later…"

"Oh… um…" she put her head down and fiddled with her hands, speaking softly enough that Prince almost didn't catch her, "Hania Shah… Grand Fantasy Video Game Developer."

"A video game developer?" Prince echoed, his eyebrows raising a bit, "That sounds cool! So… you like games surrounding knights and dragons? Or other things of course..." His eyes trailed over to Lukas who was calmly conversing with Xiuying, "you know Lukas there is a knight!" He brightly brought up, hoping the idea would bring some cheer to her.

Hania nodded, "I heard…" And then quickly looked back down.

"Oh yeah... Ha… um… what are your games like?" He asked.

"You know… fantasy…" she muttered, seemingly more interested in fiddling with her glasses than engaging in conversation.

"Oh neat... um… I don't have much experience with games… but I vaguely… remember… something about them I think..."

"..."

"..."

"Sorry if I'm making this weird… um…" Prince scratched his neck, unsure of how to continue, "I'm just kinda, wondering if you're okay… you know… just to check, since you were watching that argument earlier. And… you came here for the Coronation to… right?"

She responded with a nod, but still looked very worried. He wondered now if that was just how her face was arranged when it was resting, "I'll… leave you alone… but it was really nice to meet you."

"Mhm…" was all she said, and just like that the conversation was done between them.

'Okay I take back what I said about Anata, this girl is definitely quieter than her, but I can understand her unwillingness to talk. I'll try to give her some space from now on, but…' A thought of everyone he's met so far popped into his head, and he could only shudder at the thought of them trying to have a conversation with her. 'I hope she can keep her sanity while she's here…'

As Prince left Hania to her own devices, he approached the group who were just winding down on their talk. "Finally, someone here who has a little bit of sense to them," he heard Xiuying sigh, "now that that's over with, do me a favor and fetch the rest of the fools walking around. The sooner we can get this started the better."

"Hold on… I still have a few questions of my own…" Prince nervously asked, causing Xiuying to roll her eyes, "you guys were coming down from those stairs… but so far it seems like the second floor is locked. Was there anything up there?"

Before she could dish out another insult, Koji stepped in and answered in her stead, "Unfortunately no… you can go up to the second floor, and there are doors that seem to open to more parts of this manor, but they're currently locked so… we couldn't really look around as much as we wanted to."

"Don't you dare interrupt me ever again, before I force you to take in the heel of my shoe due to your ignorance," Xiyuing scoffed, shooing Koji away.

"No access to the other floors…" Lukas repeated, cupping his helm with thoughtful hands, "the first floor is already quite large in itself. The idea of other floors being a similar size is interesting. Ms. Akatsuki, do you have any information you could regard in this aspect as well?"

"I would rather not participate in such a useless discussion, but I suppose I can offer you just a grain of info, it means very little to me anyway. It is as he said," she confirmed, "some rooms here have access to the second floor due to their frankly bloated size, but the entirety of the floor itself is currently locked. The gallery and dorms were like this when I investigated them, as well as the library which was the largest of all three."

"A library?" Prince's eyebrows raised and he stepped even closer, "I mean… t-that's probably to be expected here, it's a huge manor after all, but… was there anyone in there?"

"Indeed there were," Xiyuing muttered, "a redhead and a little boy to be exact. One dared to speak with me about some puppets she had, while the other was overlooking some books I didn't care about."

His heart skipped a beat in response as a familiar picture of the one individual popped into his mind, "thanks for letting me k-know…" he quickly gestured toward Lukas, "we should go check out if they're still there… you know… just to see if they found anything."

"Are you sure you want to head back out there?" Koji spoke, briefly closing his eyes, "Prince you should just stay here and wait out for the Coronation to start. At least then you'll have some form of understanding of what's happening."

He thought it over for a moment, but shook his head, "I appreciate the suggestion, but I think me and Lukas have to go out and find everyone, right?"

"Finally a sensible idea," Xiyuing yawned, "go and fetch them for me would you? If I want to get this whole fiasco over with, it's best for everyone to be here."

Koji was silent, but nodded in understanding, "well it's your choice. Good luck out there Prince."

The two said their goodbyes before Prince and Lukas headed out into the manor halls. Almost immediately the presence of darkness quickly returned, coating the walls and lights to an alarming degree. The dim setting propelled Prince forward as he tried to look out for any door that could lead to a library.

Thankfully it didn't take long to find one, as a mountain of a door suddenly appeared with glowing crystal lights around its frame. He was rendered silent at the sight of it alone, as the pattern of the moon and sun swirling around a large triquetra stuck out in his mind. For some reason, even after seeing that symbol so often, he felt as if something was tugging at his brain, begging him to see something his eyes couldn't process. All he could focus on though was the sign above the door that read 'Library'.

"It appears this is it," Lukas voiced quickly, taking a step forward to open it, "please, allow me to enter first to survey the area."

"By all means go ahead…" Prince accepted. Lukas nodded in understanding and opened the door to the library, upon which a bright light bathed the hallway outside. He stood for just a moment, transfixed by the light, before pushing past Lukas in an attempt to see the large area they had just entered.

The sprawling interior was done in a rich redwood, smooth at the touch of Prince's hand and glossy from the hanging lights positioned along the shelves. Shades of vivid amber outlined their frames, along with the railings and walls to allow a soft glow to the room. Multiple tables lined the room -Prince counted at least ten on the first floor- each holding a differing number of cushioned chairs and lamps to sit and read at. There were also tiny sections in the room, with armchairs placed around circular end tables and plants beside them for a more comfortable setting.

And unlike anything he had seen thus far, the room stretched endlessly above to a towering four stories, with waves upon waves of bookshelves that reached higher than the sparkling stars on the ceiling it seemed. The books themselves were clustered together, forming an array of colors that morphed into an almost oppressive tapestry of knowledge. Nothing was organized in the room, books were lying everywhere. Some open, some locked shut, some dusty, some brand new. He had entered a world of books, and no matter where he looked, a brimming sense of history surrounded him.

Yet despite this ocean of history and tales at his fingertips, Prince could only stand in wake of it all, his eyes full of wonder at the sight. What could these books possibly hold? Prince could only wonder of the possibilities. But he knew above all else that whether it was Grandview or someone else, the collection was definitely an impressive spectacle. Even Lukas seemed surprised by the sight of the shelves, allowing himself only a moment to study the mountain of volumes around him while resting his hand on his sword.

For a long time, the two didn't dare utter a word, that was until a warm voice broke the silence. "Ah! Brother Prince! It is such a joy to see you again so soon!" And just as quickly as the wind, a smile formed on Prince's face as soon as recognized who it belonged to.

Sure enough, standing among the giant books was the ever so eccentric marionette maker, her eyes shining even brighter than ever in the presence of the library's vast collection, "Amaya! It's so good to see you as well…" Prince beamed, allowing his worries to simply drift away as he ran up to here, "e-especially here of all places- I-It's… so…"

"Breathtaking?" Amaya finished, and he nodded back to her delight, "I must say, this architectural arrangement is far more than I ever expected, but I can't say I'm complaining! It's truly magical isn't it?" And just then she eagerly held up one of the books she was holding, "plus, they have four whole sections dedicated to poetry here!"

The book cover was pink, with gold lines swirling around the title. By itself, it was definitely pretty, but the contents within were even more as Amaya showcased pages upon pages of poems, "these poems sure have a way with words… it's beautiful- oh-!"

Prince's gaze leaped off the pages of the book and was caught onto a figure standing patiently toward Amaya, another student he soon realized upon closer observation. Most likely the 'boy' Xiyuing mentioned, but their clothing appeared very feminine looking. They were around Prince's height, possibly a bit shorter with smooth fawn-colored skin mixed in soft pink. Despite their size though, they somehow managed to carry very large books in their little hands, or where their hands would have been if not for the oversized cardigan sleeves that covered them up. Seeing as the books themselves were actually a little too large, a slight ripple of worry overcame him as he felt they'd fall on top of the student due to their size.

"H-Hello! I-I've finally returned Amaya," the new student finally announced, raising the books up as high as they could for the marionette maker to see, "u-um just to be sure… were t-these the ones you wanted to read later? I tried t-to remember exactly which ones you recommended-" They suddenly wobbled under the weight of all the books, but quickly found their footing.

"H-Hey… do you need some help with that-? Those look-" Prince started to say, but before he could finish, a sudden gasp from Amaya nearby cut him short.

"Oh Brother Kanna," Amaya spoke, her eyes widening a tiny bit in concern as she rushed over to help, "what is this to be? These books are far too heavy for just you to carry! Please- allow me to help you at once-"

'Brother Kanna?' Prince thought, 'so… he really is a boy?' He thought over the idea for a few moments before proceeding to physically facepalm himself for his stupidity. It was only after he did that two times that he allowed himself to help the student, "ah- um…okay let's just take these few books off first and then-"

"T-Thanks for the o-offer… but I'm truly fine." The boy insisted, "r-really I am, promise!"

"Are you positive?" Lukas suddenly voiced from behind, appearing out of nowhere from Prince's eyes.

"Yes, p-positive! I just um… I just n-need to b-balance t-them c-carefully around a-and-" And right then and there the book heaved over and crashed all over onto the floor, with one having the courtesy to hit Lukas in the head.

Prince immediately jumped up. "L-Lukas are you- are you good?!" The knight's only response was with a casual nod, and seeing as there wasn't any dent in his helmet, Prince could only assume he was okay. The boy however, or Kanna as Amaya called him, had his hands over his mouth, his large pink eyes accented by white eyeliner growing even larger by the second as he shot up to his feet.

"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msosorry!" He profusely spilled out, quickly standing to his feet to help the Knight up, "I s-should've listened- It's my mistake Ah- I didn't w-want-"

"It's alright, I didn't feel a thing." Was all Lukas said.

"A-Ah- wait… r-really…?" Kanna's face was still tense, but his eyes slightly softened as Lukas calmly stood to his feet, "b-but- you g-got hurt…! There's a medical facility nearby I can take you if-"

"Don't worry… it takes a lot to take me down, you have nothing to apologize for," Lukas was silent for a tiny moment before adding, "if anything I'm impressed."

"I-Impressed…?" Both Kanna and Prince said in unison. For someone like Lukas to be impressed given his honor-bound demeanor, Prince couldn't even wonder what that could mean for someone.

"Yes, impressed," he repeated gently, "I don't know how long you were carrying those books for, but they were definitely too large for you to handle on your own. Still, the fact that you had done that for as long as you did, not to mention without help, I'd say would be impressive."

The frightening face of Kanna's instantly dissipated upon hearing those words, being replaced with a bright smile and sparkling eyes at a task well done, "s-so… I did a good job?" He turned toward Amaya, who at this point was watching the conversation with content.

She sighed briefly before slightly smiling, "a great one of course Brother Kanna, but I still want you to be careful when you carry around heavy objects like this, okay? Please ask me next time, okay? That way you'll have less trouble in the future."

"I p-promise, and if you'll let me I'll d-do a b-better job in the future as well!" He smiled brightly, leading to Amaya's expression softening as she let out a small breath. It almost seemed impossible for her to get too upset in Prince's eyes, which calmed his nerves a little as he crouched down for the books.

"There are so many books… what were you planning on doing with them? Read them all yourself?" Prince felt compelled to ask out of genuine curiosity. If that were the case then Anata might have some competition in the future for her title, he thought.

"A-Ah… no… I j-just wanted to help Amaya out!" Kanna brightly answered, "I was h-helping h-her search the library earlier… since it's pretty large… but I h-happened to notice she was going over some books she seemed t-to enjoy. She stopped e-every so often and reviewed them before moving on..."

"Oh-? Brother Kanna you happened to notice all that?" Amaya inquired, "I wanted to save those books to read for later, but I didn't want to risk taking anything out of the library. You went and got those for me?"

"O-Of course! I-I mean at least to me you looked very interested in all those books a-and… I wanted to collect them so you could r-read them later." Suddenly he clutched his cardigan and began to nervously shake his head, "but t-then I stumbled a-and made them all fall. I should've just memorized where each book was kept and come back for them l-later…."

"Memorize all this? In their sections?" Prince lifted up two of the smaller books while overlooking the huge pile in front of them. "That's so cool! H-How would you manage to do all that?"

"O-Oh… um… "it's e-easy for me to categorize things when I'm doing it for others," Kanna explained with a small smile, "and I really like doing it because it's just… well it helps p-people! So I undertake a-any task for e-everyone if need be… at least that's what my talent entails."

A talent meant solely for helping others? Prince already knew most Grandview talents fell into this area such as Machi and Kanon, but he raised his eyebrows at the young student as his outfit didn't really suggest anything specific to him right away. He had on a short-sleeved turtleneck, white in color and being a crop-top design. It met seamlessly with the high waisted pleated pink skirt he wore, which met at the end of the shirt's hem so no midriff was exposed. Overtop it all was a knitted beige cardigan, draped over his thin figure and trailing down to half the length of his skirt. It had buttons, but was currently open and hanging loosely, meaning the sleeves of said cardigan were overtaking where his hands would be. On his feet are ankle high socks adorned with a pair of worn out black converse. It looked comfortable to Prince, but it didn't really specify what his talent could be.

In a flash, he glanced at Amaya, allowed his brain to settle, and then asked, "a-are you okay with telling me what your talent is K-Kanna? If that's fine by you of course…"

"Y-You don't even have to a-ask!" Kanna leaped up with a smile and raised his hand to shake Prince's, "I'm the Grand Assistant, F-Fujisaki Kanna at your service! I-I truly hope we d-do get along here!"

No wonder he was so eager to lend a helping hand to Amaya and Lukas, his talent exclusively focused on his ability to do such things. And so far he hadn't done a single thing to really provoke any worry in Prince, which was a relief to him. After mostly meeting people like… Albion, Uta, and Xiuying for the last few minutes, he couldn't help but hear the positive tone of Kanna's words and have them root deep into his heart.

"Sir Fujisaki... Kanna, noted," Lukas nodded before kneeling down to meet the boy's eyes, "I shall introduce myself as well then. I am Lukas Griffon Powell, Grand Knight. I will protect you for however long we remain here."

"O-Oh- S-Sir-? You d-don't need to b-be so formal with m-me- U-unless you feel comfortable by s-saying it t-then," Kanna deeply blushed as Lukas stood up once more, covering his mouth and nodding slowly to the knight, "ah nevermind i-it's n-nice to meet you L-Lukas…!"

After that Kanna quietly stepped aside and let Amaya approach the knight with a glint of awe in her glistening eyes, "how wonderful of a talent you've accumulated Brother Lukas! Your presence is sure to keep our classmates at ease during what little time we have on the premises." Amaya clasped her hands together and brought a soft smile to her face as she continued, "just please do remember if you need any assistance, you come ask me as well, understand?"

"That won't be necessary I feel, miss," Lukas stated, lowering his helm, "but… I appreciate the offer." He added quickly after, his words quieting down.

"Hm… I see," Amaya shook her head, but still smiled genuinely at the knight, "whatever the case may be, I do hope we get along splendidly during our time here. Brother Lukas." With that said, she turned toward Prince and reassuringly held his shoulders, "ah- and who can forget about Brother Prince? I know I've been gone for only a few moments, but I must ask how your memory has been treating you? Is everything alright?" To his surprise, she had spoken the last bit softly enough to the point where neither Kanna nor Lukas could possibly overhear, keeping the conversation close between them and them only.

"Yeah… I-I'm actually doing pretty good… and…" he glanced at Kanna before nodding sternly to himself, "it's okay for you to let the others know about my lack of memory…" he allowed, "I've told a lot of people b-before... sorry…"

"No need to be sorry dear, it is enough for me to know you are okay as of now, that's all that matters to me," the marionette maker reassured, "and don't worry, I just wanted to make sure you were the one okay with talking about it in front of Brother Kanna and Brother Lukas. I wouldn't want to spill anything myself if you weren't comfortable with it," she nervously laughed as she brought up Masa to her shoulders, "but I'm glad to see you opening up like this Brother Prince... Father Shin would certainly look upon you in favor."

Prince's previous worries over the situation washed away into the deep voids of his mind as he registered the kindness Amaya shared. It was a kindness he wanted to somehow return, but felt he didn't know enough to truly do. All he could do then was simply return the smile she gave and allow himself to stand tall.

"T-Thanks Amaya…" he spoke, a little louder than he had previously, "well then… we should probably… um… clean up this mess. Wouldn't want to leave a dirty spot in the library!"

"Certainly not!" Kanna agreed, and right then and there the assistant quickly began gathering books into a neat pile. The entire group soon followed, and the once tense energy in the room now was lifted into a charming serenity as Kanna cheerfully talked to Lukas and Amaya as they picked up all the books that had fallen. It soothed the room in a way, giving Prince time to reflect upon Amaya's words and hold them close as he worked.

Despite the door that led to their escape indeed being locked, and all the other strange happenings going on in the manor, in the tiny moment he spent with the others, he felt like that didn't really matter anymore. They were definitely going to work together and find out the cause of everything, he was now certain of it. And he himself would work as hard as he could, he just needed to find some sort of information that could really push them forward, but what could that be?

When they finished cleaning, he was still thinking deeply on anything he had found before Lukas of all people spoke up, "now that this is done, is there anything else you two might need help with?"

"I'm quite fine I believe," Amaya responded, fiddling with a confused Masa in hand, "however, I did want to ask you if you two found anything during your travels? Unfortunately, Brother Kanna and I have looked all over the library and have not found a single thing."

"W-Well… we don't know anything that reveals what's happening sadly," Prince confessed, rubbing his arm, "but you probably should know that some o-of us are gathering in the foyer early in preparation for the Coronation."

"I-Is that s-so?" Kanna bit the tip of his finger nervously and scrunched his eyebrows, "b-but there's still some time left… w-we should keep exploring t-to find more clues on the s-situation."

"Yeah.. that's what I think we should do as well…" Prince agreed firmly, "but… n-nobody has found anything substantial, and anything we do find is too cryptic to mean anything to us… so… I understand why they're willing to wait..."

Amaya slowly took the shelves of the library and skimmed through the books, "well there must be something here at least… this is a library after all… and a well-stocked one mind you," she added, pointing Masa's hands toward the volumes, "these books could contain a variety of things."

"True, but we only have limited time here," Lukas reminded, crossing his arms tightly, "from the looks of things, it could take weeks to read or even look through every book in here."

"M-Maybe we d-don't have to read through every book…" Kanna suddenly voiced. And in that moment, he pulled out something from within his cardigan for the group to see. Prince leaned in close… and to his surprise… found a written list in the assistant's hands.

---

{ - Lunar (Gibberish) - }

Section 15B - Section 17B

- Starlight 2

- (Gibberish)

- Starlight 4

- (Gibberish)

- Dream 2

- Rolling Waves 1

- (Gibberish)

- (Gibberish)

- Black Spot 3

(Note - They can change remember, they always do, remember them well. Remember foreverandalwaysforeverandalwaysforeverandalwaysforeverandalways (Gibberish)

---

"I found t-this in a book on the s-second floor… t-the second shelve c-closest to the stairs," Kanna quickly explained, "I d-don't know if i-it'll be useful… but it was sticking out of the book a-and I grabbed it... there wasn't a title on the book, but I brought it with me, it's here-" The assistant grabbed one of the books from the desk and raised it up. It was a sorry sight, the cover coated in dust and pages torn into nothing, "i-it's clearly listing something…"

"Indeed," Lukas agreed, studying the list closer, "given the writing, and how informal it is, I believe someone wrote this in a hurry, or they were simply going mad over something."

"Going mad?" Amaya echoed, gripping onto the ends of her dress, "that would not be pleasant at all for anyone to endure."

Indeed it was in Prince's head. He didn't even want to think of something like that happening to anyone he knew, "um... well what we can see is that t-the... the list includes... book titles maybe?" He attempted to deduct, "although they're so random..." The writing itself was sprawled out, manic, mushed together to make some words unrecognizable, "I don't even know what the rest says h-honestly..."

"True, the writing is hard to discern, but this note… " Amaya said carefully, "I recognize the sections written here have 'B' at the end." She paused and flexed Masa into a thinking position with the strings, "in this library there is a sign, on the end of the stairs, dictating the letters of the floor. 'A' is the first floor, 'B' is second, 'C' is third, and 'D'. is-"

"The last-" Prince finished quickly, now catching on, "sections 15B through 17B are on the second floor… so maybe there we will find something?" But what? Some more books he wondered?

"Only one way to find out," Amaya grinned. She took Prince's hand, sending a jolt through his spine, and helped him rush up the stairs. The sections passed by quickly, their numbers blurring until the distinct fifteen and seventeen came to view. The shelves here were even more worn down than the book Kanna had taken, withered to a murky brown that seemed to be barely hanging on.

"Let's see… is there anything on the list in this section?" Lukas mumbled as he pushed books aside with his gauntlet hands, "most of them don't even look readable."

"You're right… there's quite a lot to look at…" Amaya replied, her eyes widening at the length of the shelves, "this will surely take up a lot of time, but if we can find whatever is on that list here, maybe something will reveal itself."

"I-I'll try and help as much as I can then," Kanna nodded firmly.

"M-Me too, I think… wait... n-no, I will…" Prince reaffirmed, "if we split up, maybe two of us in each section… and I can take one alone-"

"Everyone… stop at once..."

"H-Huh?" Prince turned around and saw that Lukas was suddenly standing straight, sword at the ready, and his gaze pointed down toward the first-floor entrance. Seeing his sword in hand and glimmering in the deadly light slightly shook Prince's heart, "L-Lukas… what's happening-?"

"I think we underestimated how much time there is left until the Coronation," Lukas explained quickly, "we need to go… right now-"

And that's when he heard it. A sudden thud. Then another. Then another. Vibrating through the floor, shaking his body with each passing second. Another thud, and then another, and then another produced. And then it became a sudden stomping noise.

Someone was walking around outside the library… and it did not sound like a friend.

*CRASH*

The grotesque snapping of hinges and creaking wood breaking below his feet suddenly sent Prince shooting towards the ground. And yet nothing collapsed above or below him. Instead, the sound of metal heaving against hardwood filled the entire library, covering every nook and cranny until the whole world was filled with a horrible sound of what Prince could only describe as footsteps.

Kanna was clutching Amaya's arm in fear, while the marionette maker held him softly with her own bewildered look. Lukas had crouched down behind the railing as well, his sword now fully out and holding a fierce look that pierced through the darkness of his helmet. His eyes were glowing a cool green color, that seemed to lack any emotion, only a sharp gaze that reminded Prince of Uta when they first met.

And as for Prince himself, he completely stopped breathing, his mind went silent. All that remained was the sound of… a heavy beating sound, so loud and fast that it drowned out his ears. His heart even. It was his heart making that sound.

What… was this feeling? This new… intense emotion that completely froze Prince to his very core? Could this have been fear? Pure, unsolicited fear coursing through his body?

"W-What d-do we d-do…?" Prince blurted out. He hadn't realized he was speaking until he noticed Lukas glancing at him, "L-Lukas… what do we-?"

"Don't move." That was all he said. The entire group nodded and waited. And waited… and waited… for what felt like an eternity as something huge shuffled below them on the first floor.

The rotten shelves felt even more suffocating now, to the point where it didn't feel like he could breathe, 'will it come up here? If it does... w-what do I do? I don't... I don't know... what is g-going to happen?'

He would have to wait a very long time for that answer… and eventually, that answer came in the form of a grumble from below, before whatever it was stormed off, leaving the group in stunned silence. Prince didn't even allow himself to exhale until he felt completely sure whatever the thing had vanished for good.

Eventually, Kanna broke the silence between them all, "w-what… w-what was that?"

"The behemoth…" Amaya whispered. Prince's eyes widened in realization, recalling back to the letter The Owner gave them and Koji's suspicions.

---

When the clock strikes seven, our enforcer will pick you and the remaining guests up. If you don't want to be dragged by that six hundred pound behemoth though, I suggest you meet at the foyer around that time, or simply remain in your room until the announcement arrives.

---

"Is it seven already then? That… T-That is what's going to take us to the foyer?" Prince stuttered.

"It's not yet seven to my knowledge," Amaya proclaimed with an uncertain look, "and the time has not arrived for the announcement to inform us of this matter like the letter said it would. Something must be wrong then… we must leave here."

"But- the letter-" Kanna brought up quietly, holding it out for the marionette maker to see. At the sight of it Amaya did glance downwards briefly, but seemed firm on her choice.

"Miss Amaya is correct, who knows when that thing will come back here and finish whatever job it's doing," Lukas explained, "we're leaving the area, try and stay close to me…" He ordered, and with that, the entire group nodded in unison.

They followed the knight slowly down the stairs. However, Prince paused at each step, almost not wanting to see whatever was left waiting for them down at the first floor. If that horrible sound from before was anything to go by, there was definitely broken wood and splinters lying about.

When the group actually reached the first floor though they found very little had changed in reality. Everything was as prestigious and clean as it was before. The only difference was that the entrance door to the library was wide open, seemingly pushed into the wall and stuck there. This allowed everyone to see out into the hallway and find it was pitch black. No light or flicker of life could even be seen within it.

"I don't even think we can get to the foyer in this direction…" Prince mumbled, "maybe Koji had the right idea about staying there…"

"Whatever the case is, we're definitely not taking that exit," Lukas said aloud, bringing the group to the opposite end of the room, "we'll have to forge a new route."

Without a word, the group stepped back out into the halls… hand and hand with eyes glancing everywhere. Prince could feel his heartbeat slowing down, but the pain in his chest didn't ease at all. In fact, it only strengthened at the realization of why he was always so wary of walking in the hallways.

Because something like that was out there.

It was difficult to articulate his thoughts after being in such a scene. The manor didn't feel as secure anymore. Instead, it began to groan all around him, with only the howling wind from the storm interrupting the sound every now and then. There was now a hint of darkness that seemed to latch onto his every move, forcing his feet to drag and when from the sudden shift.

"Hey… we're okay… we're all fine, see dears?" Amaya softly spoke, clutching Kanna and Prince's hands to awake them from their trances, "Father Tsuki has delivered us into the light once more to bring serenity and peace. After all, we have plenty of time to return and see what is there," she reassured, "for now though, we must keep walking… so please stay close to me, you two, okay?"

Kanna nodded and stuck next to Amaya like glue. However, Prince did no such thing at first, though he didn't act out of stubbornness or malice. Instead, he was just still in shock over what happened. What exactly was that thing? If it was the behemoth… or enforcer The Owner talked about… why didn't it say anything? What was it trying to do?

And… what would happen if it ran back into them? What would happen if Fudo or Machi came across that thing?

Was that why… back at the theater Fudo and Aimi were missing?

He let those questions fill his head before slowly allowing himself to stick closer to Amaya's embrace, who gently squeezed his hand to allow a feeling of warmth to come back to him. This feeling awoke him for a moment, and reminded him of where he was. That he was okay. They were all okay. They would eventually find out whatever's happening, and when they did… they'd be… okay…

He was okay….

That feeling however didn't linger for too long in his head as he suddenly jumped at the sight of a large door in the distance. It looked more traditional, a sliding Japanese door large enough to fit a giant. However, what caught his interest in the door was the sounds coming from inside… voices…

"There are people in here," Prince called out, catching Amaya's and Kanna's attention, "d-do you guys hear it?"

"I do indeed, we must get them to the foyer then," Amaya agreed, "they must not be aware that something is searching for them at this moment."

"A-And us..." Kanna reminded with a small whisper.

"You don't have to worry about anything taking you, if it comes down to it I will fight the creature to protect you all," Lukas promised, "until then though, we shall collect as many people as possible… Kanna… do you still have that library note with you?"

Kanna nodded quickly, "what j-job do you require of me?"

"Keep it close," Lukas ordered. Kanna did exactly as he was told and put the note in his cardigan.

As soon as he did that, Lukas opened the doors and introduced the group to a new room. It was quite large, rectangular in shape with a large empty space in the middle holding a large mat. The walls were made of warm wood and bamboo, but the large singular window looked out right into the backyard of the manor, showcasing the snowfall in all its glory. The natural light of the dimming sun turned the room orange, highlighting the many weapons stationed around in racks or holders. Seeing them out in the open so freely available slightly freaked out Prince, but he relaxed quickly as he saw two training dummies in the room. It was likely the weapons were only meant to be used on those...

Within the room itself, looking around the shelves and equipment were three people, two boys and one girl. Two of the students looked… very familiar to Prince's eyes. So much so that as soon as they caught his gaze as well, they quickly broke away from the other student and practically rammed into him.

"MISTER PRINCE! WE FOUND YOU!" Fudo exclaimed, his eyes sparkling the colors of a thousand stars as a huge smile overtook him.

"What the? Who is this-?" Lukas attempted to ask, but he was cut short by the sound of bright laughter from the magician, and the sound of Prince's own voice that drowned everything out.

"Fudo! A-And-'' He looked over to find Aimi standing patiently nearby, holding a relieved smile on her face, "and Aimi! You're both here! A-And safe! Me and Machi had n-no clue where you two were B-But-!"

"But you're here!" Fudo finished quickly, hugging Prince tight, "I knew we would find you eventually!"

Words failed him and without even thinking, he impulsively hugged Fudo back, thanking Father Tsuki or whatever god existed out there that the magician didn't seem to have crossed paths with whatever was roaming the halls now. Fudo didn't resist the embrace either, instead, he clutched tightly onto Prince as well, possibly sharing a similar feeling of relief. One of a friend, who knew the other was safe… an old friend… one that oddly…. felt familiar in memory...

"Fudo… I…" Prince stayed silent for a moment before deciding to let go of him and say, "I can't believe I found you…" He let out a panicked laugh and brushed his hair aside from his eyes, "I just…. Y-you just vanished from the theater, w-we didn't see you anywhere…" The combination of the most recent terror event and seeing Fudo again was causing him to trip over his words now.

"Well um… the thing is…" Fudo scratched his head, nervously glancing down at the floor.

"Yo Pip, was this the squad you were talking about earlier?!" A deep voice rang out before the magician could finish, "damn, they're a lot bigger than I thought, you really met all these people? You get around fast somehow little man!"

Standing behind Fudo was another student, a young man to be specific, who soared above almost everyone in the room aside from Lukas. Both of his arched eyebrows were raised, dark blue in color, which seemed to clash against the dull brownish-grey eyes he had. He had very messy, slightly straight and jagged medium length hair that stuck out from a loose blue, black and white striped beanie hat with puffy blue pom-poms at the end. His hair shimmered a steel blue, appearing as cold as the snow and keenly highlighting his very bushy bangs that framed the sides of his face and some strands styled messily on his forehead.

He had tanned olive skin, and a very muscular lean physique pressed against his dark grey, long sleeve compression shirt, which allowed him to stand out of the crowd. Over it, he had on a bright blue short-sleeved hockey team jersey, which had white edges near the hem and black lines along the jersey's sleeves. The interesting (and very cute in Prince's eyes) design of a Puffin bird mascot with hockey sticks hitting a hockey puck was done on the front of the jersey, with the name "Arctic Puffins'' done in bold letters. Keeping up with the comfortable style he wore light grey sweatpants with the word "SNOW" in bold blue letters on the right pant leg and "CRUSHER'' on the left pant leg. Finally, Prince noticed he had on white socks which poked out of the custom-made black running shoes he had on. They had light blue snowflakes and blue lightning prints on the sides of them.

The student didn't seem to understand anything that was going on, which Prince could definitely see as that sentiment was very common at this point, but he hadn't recalled ever meeting the student before. In fact… this young man… counting everyone he had met so far… would be twenty people for the whole group Prince had met.

Could he have been the last one then? "H-Hey… a-are you also part of this whole… situation?" Prince nervously asked, "did you-"

"Wake up without knowing a damn thing?" He abruptly finished, grinning at Prince's shcked face, "yeah I'm in the same boat as you dudes, I have absolutely zero clue what's happening here… and it looks like you guys have no idea either."

"No, unfortunately," Lukas spoke up, taking his confused gaze off Fudo and Aimi, "we haven't been able to piece much together in the span of time we've investigated, I apologize for this."

"Woah, dude no need for all that, we're all confused! So just relax!" He leaned against one of the weapon racks in the room and smiled, "besides, if my guess on this all being a game show is correct, there'll be no need to ask anymore questions!"

"A g-game show…?" Prince voiced, his jaw dropping as far it would allow, "w-wait… that's what y-you think is really happening?"

"Well yeah, it would explain the cameras, right? Gotta record us twenty-four seven to get the best footage!" The way he spoke exuded a certain confidence that made it seem like he was sure of what he was saying. And yet, despite his assured voice and bold demeanor, Prince was completely lost on what he was saying.

"Wait… wouldn't that be reality T.V. then?" Aimi piqued up, causing the student's eyes to widen briefly.

"... Isn't that what I said?"

'What in the world are ANY of them talking about-'

Amaya let out a small cough and stepped up to the young man in question, "my that is a… very interesting theory you have… um… in the meantime however… how about we get acquainted with each other…? Introduce ourselves, hm?"

"Oh right right! Don't worry, I'm all over it already!" the man grinned, rubbing the rough calluses on his knuckles and hands as he cleared his throat, "listen up, name's Tadatake Suza, or as my friends call me The Snow Crusher! You might know me as the one and only Grand Hockey Player though, so don'tcha forget it!"

A hockey player… even though he had none of the equipment on his person, his outfit portrayed his sport particularly well, and the words "Snow Crusher" on his sweatpants now finally made sense to Prince as well. However, like everyone else he definitely… didn't know Tadatake, but given his talent and the badge he wore on his jersey, Prince knew he came from Grandview as well. What did that mean though? Everyone else was from there and yet he didn't know if he was himself?

"Done! And done on my end! Now… who's next?" Tadatake questioned, "I'm quick with names so I'll only need to hear it once and then we will be cool!" He raised his fingers at the group, gesturing for anyone to step up and greet themselves.

Aimi held a nervous glance toward the hockey player, "if that's the case… why do you keep calling Fudo 'Pip'?"

"Ha! Well it suits the kid, right Pip?!" Tadatake called out.

"Yep yep Mister Take!" Fudo laughed, "I don't really mind it at all! Back home me and my Ma have nicknames for each other too! It just makes sense to have em' here as well cause they're just cool! Aimi should have one as well so she doesn't miss out!"

"M-Me?" Aimi's face turned red, "a-ah that won't be necessary, um-"

"Too late now! From now on, you're gonna be known as shortcake in the squad!" Tadatake grinned, "Eh? See what I did there? Doesn't it suits you well?!"

Aimi nervously sighed but gave off a weary smile, "I guess. Heh, So I'm shortcake then… how did it come to this?"

"You tell me shortcake! Anyways, back to intros. You are…?" He pointed to Kanna, who nervously introduced himself to the group, followed up by Amaya, Lukas, and then Prince himself.

Just as they were finishing up, a loud *beep!* sounded from some of their watches, most notably Fudo and Kanna's watch, along with Prince's right after them. They glowed a bright red before showcasing the profiles section, which revealed everyone's profiles, all twenty students.

"So… d-does this mean us three met all twenty of us?" Fudo perked up. Minnie climbed out of his scarf to furiously nod yes and squeak something foolish at him, "w-well I was confused! Hey, I know now don't I!?"

"Twenty grand students…" Kanna slowly voiced, "all of us came from Grandview… s-so… that must mean s-something… right? I mean… G-Grandview is very well known across the world for being... the top of t-their craft… when it comes to honing t-talents anyway. Maybe this is a t-test from them."

"I'm not so sure," Lukas voiced rather seriously, "that… thing we saw in the library… I don't believe Grandview would ever pull a stunt like that on their students… and even if they did… there is something awfully wrong about this place."

"For real man, I mean the hell is this bullshit?" Tadatake grumbled, "I signed up for this elite scholarship, and instead I got stuck in some cheap mystery crap game show!? Man… the boys back home aren't gonna believe this when I tell them. Where would I even start?"

"You still think it's a game show…?" Aimi nervously asked, "it's starting to feel like… something more is happening… like this weapon station is j-just out in the open… people could get hurt with this equipment…"

"That's right Sister Aimi," Amaya slowly said, "we must take precautions while we're here then, but fear nor, I assure you that whatever explanation we shall be given will be easy and simple to understand."

The group began to discuss what they knew, and everything that could possibly mean. But Prince stood further back, taking in the faces of his new companions...

Twenty unique talents, unique people… none of which Prince knew… or at least he thought so. Perhaps he did know them before his memory got all wonky… or maybe something worse was happening like Uta had warned him about. Whatever the case may be regarding his memory or the situation though, he did know one thing as his watch slowly turned off. These were the people he would be working with for the time being, and most likely having to rely on due to his memories.

With that idea in mind… he put down his watch and sighed. He had met everyone he had needed to meet… and the only thing he wanted to do now was outside and at least touch something. The snow… the trees… the sky… instead of sitting there in the suffocating-

"M-Minnie?! What's w-wrong?!" Fudo's cries echoed as Minnie began rapidly running around in his scarf, "do you hear something girl?" He took her out and attempted to comfort her, but all he was met back with was a desperate squealing noise that traveled along the walls.

"Is something bothering Minnie?" Amaya hurriedly asked as she went over to comfort her.

"Obviously if she's squeaking around like that!" Tadatake pointed out, "yo Pip! What's that supposed to mean?"

"F-Fudo… didn't she do this l-last time in the theater?" Aimi suddenly voiced.

"The theater?" Prince replied, his heart dropping lower and lower as the darkness in the corridors began to grow around him. Something was not right here, not… well. The house wasn't well here, "Fudo… w-what happened i-in the theater that m-made you both leave?"

"U-Um… we just all have to g-go if she's doing this…!" Fudo began to shout, "trust me on this one, we just need to-"

The world lurched in one fell swoop, catching Prince off balance as his bones rattled and shook. The ground trembled in fear beneath him with each step that sounded, shoving him into Amaya's embrace who had centered herself on the wall. Kanna had grabbed onto Fudo and Aimi, keeping them close to the floor, and though Tadatake was slightly wobbling, he stood firm with Lukas who already had his sword out.

'Oh god… this is it again… it's that…' He struggled to breathe. All light disappeared. And the rumbling grew louder and louder and louder and louder until.

"So this is where it starts..."

A voice… one hoarse and crackling sounded… with a deep growl that rumbled with each word it spoke, "finally… it can start…! I've waited for too damn long for this to start! Ahahahaha! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

Laughter, sickening, choking, laughter sounded next, sucking in the air around them into nothing but dust, and only breathed back dust in return. It froze Prince into place, leaving him defenseless as the rest of the group quickly took defense.

"W-Who is there? What's g-going on?" Aimi nervously squeaked out as she stepped back next to Fudo. The magician then grabbed her hand and pulled her close, "don't you get! It's that thing from before Aimi! The one in the theater!"

Prince's attention snapped to the two of them, "the theater… t-this thing was there with you b-before?"

Fudo didn't answer back this time, instead bringing Aimi close to Kanna who stood in front of them with a nervous stance, "I-I'm not sure what's g-going on here…" Kanna stuttered, pulling up his cardigan, "but… p-please calm d-down out t-there… if you laugh t-to hard, you might f-faint!"

"HAHAHA! I might faint!? Who the hell told ya such nonsense about me?" Whoever it was burst into an assortment of laughter once more, so much so that the walls began to shake violently, "please, I almost feel sorry ya felt concerned about me for that…" a great pause followed the voice's words before a sudden slam against the wall rattled the room, "W-WAIT NO- I'M INSULTED YA THOUGHT OF THAT!" The voice whined, "I'm not held back by your mortal hindrances at all! I'm way stronger than that you sorry excuse for a toothpick!"

"A-Ah! I'm s-so sorry! Sorrysorrysorry f-for thinking t-that-" Kanna cried, profusely apologizing.

"Excuse me!" Amaya's voice rose briefly, her eyebrows pressed into a frown, "that's not very nice of you to pick on someone like that while they have no information available to them!" She sternly voiced, "not only that, but Brother Kanna was simply worried for you, the least you could do is thank him on the matter."

The voice was stunned into silence for a brief moment, before immediately following up with a disgruntled mutter, "and w-who are ya supposed to be? My mom or something? Ya don't tell me what to do, understand!?" The voice grew increasingly defensive as another large thud echoed into the halls, "now ya best remain silent now before I pummel someone into the ground!"

Fear suddenly returned to Prince as he took a step back next to Amaya. This thing sounded way too unstable to be joking about that. In fact, the possibility of someone getting hurt was very much real now, and he couldn't do anything to stop it. Even if he tried to step up, something from deep inside prevented him from doing so. His heart sunk to the floor, his breathing labored, and the voice grew closer as the darkness suddenly entered into the room.

But someone stood against it firmly, their face hard and fist balled into a fighting stance that wasn't deterred by the oppressive atmosphere in the room. Tadatake was the one who called out in a confrontational voice, "the hell are you on about dude? You looking for a fight or something, cause I'll gladly be the one to put a stop to this damn nonsense you're spewing!"

Lukas did not say a word in threat to the voice, but stood with a deadly stance as his sword was completely unsheathed and glimmering in what little light remained. The two boys stood in front of the group, ready to face off against whatever was out there waiting for them. To Prince, this was nothing short but something of awe to witness. The true power of a Grand Student in a way, of someone completely unafraid as a monstrous force surrounded them.

"AHAHAH! WARRIORS! I REMEMBER FOLKS LIKE YA BEFORE!" Roaring laughter filled the room completely as a mighty thud echoed in the hall right outside, "they're always nagging in my ear, on and on again for NO god forsaken reason I can think of! But I"ll have ya know, I happen to know a thing or two to put tiny little warriors like you down in their place." The voice grew darker as a silhouette of a mountain entered the room.

"Oh this guy's asking for it now!" Tadatake took a fighting stance instinctively, only being held back by Fudo who grabbed his shoulder.

"Mister Take! Don't! That thing will-" But it was too late, the thing crashed into the room and began charging toward the students.

"LET ME AT YA- W-WAUGH-!"

*BOOM*

A huge impact erupted, shaking the walls and floors as the door flung open. Prince felt his body leave the floor for a tiny moment before his feet suddenly crashed right back onto it, leaving a stinging sensation that irked him as he tried to rub it away, "ouch… t-that was… c-completely uncalled for…" He stumbled up and steadied himself before going to help the others who had fallen to the ground.

"W-Woah! Did you see that?!" Fudo shouted, looking strangely astonished over the event, "I flew up like three feet in the air on my own! I did your trick Minnie! How awesome is that!" The mouse didn't respond, instead simply rolling its eyes and retreating into Fudo's scarf.

"W-What… What happened? Is the voice gone?" Kanna blurted out as he helped Aimi off the ground.

"We probably sacred it off dude, haha!" Tadatake boasted, slapping Lukas on the back with a triumphant smile. But the smile wasn't reciprocated. Not only because it was blocked by the knight's helmet, but also because Lukas was focused on something else.

Something sprawled out at the door...

Everyone turned his way, only to be completely stunned into silence as the mysterious voice revealed itself to be… a mountain of a samurai… and yet this behemoth, rumored in the notes as a deadly enforcer, lay on the floor helpless and furious at its predicament.

"AH DRAT! I HAD SUCH A COOL ENTRANCE PLANNED!" the thing shouted in frustration, "WHAT EVEN MADE ME FALL? THIS ROOM BARELY FUCKING HAS ANYTHING USEFUL!"

The… creature or… person… groaned as they painfully rolled to their side and got into their knees. With it slightly sat up… Prince could fully… try to take this thing in. First of all, it was huge, dominating Lukas's size in both weight and height. Its arms alone were the width of Tadatake, and its sharp metal gauntlets looked big enough to grab a human head in hand and squeeze it. But aside from the size, the dark armor that seemed to not take in any kind of light led to a monstrous head… where… under a samurai helmet lied… a mix between a skeleton and a demon head.

And it didn't look like it had on a mask either… that thing… that skeleton…. Prince could see through the soulless eyes of it that it was just… floating… in place of where a head would be in the suit of armor…

"W-What- what are…" Prince had no words to even ask his question. What could even be said? What even was that thing? His words couldn't form as long as he was this taken aback by it.

"Wha? HEY SPEAK UP! I can't hear a damn thing yer saying!" The thing appeared annoyed, its empty eyes narrowing into a disappointed look.

"E-Eek! It moved! Your eyes moved!" Aimi squealed, covering her mouth from shock, "a-are you okay?! T-That doesn't hurt right?!"

"Whattya goin on about kid?" The samurai grumbled, "of course my eyes moved, IT'S MY EYES-! DUH! Same as yours! Same as everyone's!" Prince was completely dumbfounded over what was happening, did the thing not know what it looked like?

"Jeez! No bro!" Tadatake cringed slightly at the sight of the skull moving casually under the samurai's head, "what- what the hell! You don't have like- a head on is what she means! How is that moving!? Is that a costume or something-?"

"Ugh… it ain't a costume! And I have a head you morons!" the samurai wiped his skull with his hands, "c'mon! This isn't even a big deal! Ya should be more worried over me takin' you away or something! Not my face! I mean, didn't Alexan-" the samurai suddenly slapped his mouth closed, his… skull sockets wide… as sweat nervous dripped down his face, "a-ah shit, I can't say his name yet… he's saving that for the big reveal~" he motioned with his large hands for emphasis, surprisingly moving very fluidly for a huge suit of armor.

"Wait… who's… Alexan…?" Kanna repeated, pondering deeply on the name, "Alexan… Alexannnn… Oh! Alexander…! I-Is that what you were going to say?" Kanna questioned.

The Samurai snapped his focus to Kanna and began to furiously punch the floor, "SHUT UP WITH THE QUESTIONS! WHY AM I EVEN INDULGING MY TIME TO YA!? I'M HERE TO TAKE YA IN THAT'S WHAT I'M HERE FOR!" And with that, the thing forced itself up into standing with a heavy grunt, revealing its true monstrous size to the group. Not only did it tower over Lukas and Tadatake, it absolutely dominated them in that department.

…

…

The thing suddenly whirled around at the faces and frowned, "w-why isn't anyone lining up?"

"W-We… were supposed to be lining up…?" Prince asked.

"UM- OBVIOUSLY-!" It shouted.

"But you didn't say to line-"

"UGH! I"m telling ya to do so now!" the samurai grumbled, "I've already wasted enough of the boss's time by doing this early so… everyone just come with me so we can start the game… for real this time!" It cackled wickedly.

"Game…?" Amaya bravely stepped forward and leaned toward the giant samurai, "I'm rather confused. What game are we talking about specifically…? And why construct something like that at this time? Is it… a finding things game perhaps?" She guessed, raising her eyebrows for confirmation.

"That's to be answered for the Coronation ya idiot! Once that's over, ya get to live for another day! Does that answer yer question? No one responded in agreement, instead, everyone stood silently in even more confusion over what this thing was saying.

The creature seemed to sense this and rubbed it's skeleton face, "ugh you're all clueless… I don't have any problems with doin' things the hard way and dragging you there myself, but how bout' you make things easier for yourself and stand down, aye?"

…

…

…

"No."

The entire hall grew silent as Lukas slowly pulled out his blade and stood against the towering samurai, to which the creature stared right into Lukas's eyes and growled, "the fuck ya say to me kid?"

But Lukas stood undeterred, positioning himself in front of the group with his sword in hand, "I won't let you take them. I definitely don't trust whatever this game you mention is, and I'm not going to let you drag them into it." I won't back down from you…"

'Lukas… you…' Prince could only slightly step forward to give Lukas support over his decision. He wasn't strong like Tadatake or Lukas, but he didn't feel as nervous as before, even in the face of the giant samurai.

But then the creature thought for a moment over Lukas's words, nodded to himself, and grinned… a horribly twisted grin, "ah I see how ya want to play... warrior…"

*BAM*

The samurai had taken out a weapon, a kanabo Prince noticed, and hit Lukas square across the chest with it. It happened so fast that Prince didn't have time to dodge Lukas's flying body crashing harshly into his own, causing Prince to hit his head on the floor and pass out. He heard someone scream his name, and was only able to see Lukas briefly stand up and charge the creature before it took another swing at him.

And just like that… darkness consumed him once more.

---

{Author's Note}

The final intros are done… oh my god that took way too long. After a whole year, the prologue is ALMOST done, there's just one more chapter after this and then the fun can truly begin :) Thank you, seriously to all of you who are reading this and putting up with my lazy ass. Also, that's kinda one of the main reasons these chapters have been taking so long…. Yikes-

Anyway, time for the exciting stuff! Please welcome our final four extraordinary students Xiuying Akatsuki, Hania Shah, Fujisaki Kanna, and Tadatake Suza. I really enjoyed writing their characters and have so many ideas on where to take them and their stories! Leave your thoughts on their first impressions if you wish, as well as if you feel I could do anything more with them and my writing! Feel free to also leave your thoughts on the entire cast now that they've all been revealed!

The next chapter will not have a set due date because as you can tell… I'm absolutely TRASH at keeping up with those, but I really want to make it at least a habit to publish one or two chapters a month at LEAST- so I'll try and get the last prologue chapter done during September. After that, it might be a little tricky since I do now have a job and school so…. We'll see how this goes.

Also for anyone whose been very observant while rereading the chapters, you may notice I've changed and edited a few things. Nothing major enough for everyone to reread it or anything, but stuff like dialogue or grammar so the scene flows better and may not be as hard to read. I was in a rush to get these last few chapters out, so I did want to change a few things, but again nothing major so if you already read it, you do not have to go back. It's not like I hid some MAJOR clue or anything in chapter 1 :smirk:

I'M KIDDING- Love y'all for following this story, and see you soon!

Take Care

CandleFire45