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.

7. The Owner's Game Pt 2 (Prologue 6)

{Author's note} I FINALLY got around to editing the chapter, so I'll have an author's note written below detailing more stuff. I mostly fixed spelling errors and wording, so the flow of the chapter should be a bit better.

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Scarlet Passage Of Time

Prologue 6

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"You are the monster I see in my dreams."

"The monster that lurks beneath the deep."

"The monster that walks amongst the sheep."

"You are the monster that continues to dream."

"Of withered promises I couldn't keep."

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The Owner

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The group's clutter of footsteps echoed within the crimson halls as they made their way to the Coronation. Their eyes were cautious, facing straight and sticking to their own little makeshift groups. The samurai was stomping right behind them, leading the entire group to follow Empress forward. Even if they wanted to run now, there was nowhere they could go. They were all too deep in it now.

Prince latched himself next to Amaya, attempting to keep his composure as the silence from everyone rang in his ears. No one dared to utter a word, or even breathe out loud. Perhaps it was because they were perfectly aware of the tense air surrounding Omen and Empress. Or maybe it was due to the fact that they were finally going to get answers over what was happening.

"Answers…" Prince repeated that word in his head over and over again. It was the only thing allowing him to press on in determination. They were going to meet whoever was responsible for all this. The Owner of this place. All he knew was that person… was the reason they were there. And they were going to tell them everything.

They had to…

A squeeze from Amaya's hand confirmed the feeling for him, as she looked down and offered him a small smile. She was walking quietly beside with her doll in hand, her teal dress fluttering as she held a calm and collected expression. It was clear from one look that she wasn't worried over what was to come, so why should he? Prince had to hold out hope it would be alright, especially since he was surrounded by many trusted friends.

Maybe it was a bit naive to call them that, especially people like Albion and Xiuying who coldly stared at everyone, and some like Uta who barely paid anyone any mind. But each time he looked up he was reminded of how many more friendly faces there were by the occasional glance thrown his way. First a look of reassurance from Machi, then a glance of bravery from Fudo and Minnie who stuck close by her.

Prince tried to share those same looks to Koji, who he noticed stuck to himself, wearily glancing at everyone with a fierce look. The undertaker did meet his gaze, but suddenly looked back out the windows where the dwindling sunlight dipped below the trees. Hania was doing the same, though she decided to walk alongside Anata who was humming to herself. Jun was humming along with her, nodding his head slightly as if captured by the music. Kanon however kept focus and held her head up high, clearly annoyed by the sound.

Aimi on the other hand kept her head down, tugging at her sweater nervously as she trailed behind Kanna, who looked a little stressed as well. The two had stationed themselves next to Tadatake, who had boldly taken to the front of the group, along with Lukas who was stuck with a sour Amelie muttering in french. Luna strolled behind her, quietly praying with clasped hands over the situation. Stefano however was dealing with Hagoromo rambling away at his ear, who was the only one even daring to speak.

"I have to wonder, who might this mysterious Owner be?" She inquired to really no one but herself, "could they be a man, or a woman? How rich may they be if they bought this place, oh ho~? They must be very well connected I assume!"

"HEY! Quick yapping over there, yer buggin me," Omen suddenly snapped, making Prince's heart leap out of his chest. His words however were pointed directly at the demonologist, who grinned innocently in response.

"Oops! Sorry about that, I forgot you wanted peace and quiet~" Hagoromo laughed away, either entirely aware of what she was saying or completely ignorant to the samurai's warning, "I'll try to keep the chatting to a minimum from now on, promise!"

Even with the promise, Omen kept a close eye on her, stomping behind the group as he forced everyone to follow Empress. Perhaps he was watching so closely in case Hagoromo tried to race off again, however even if she wanted to, she couldn't exactly run anywhere.

It wasn't long until finally, after what seemed like centuries of walking, they approached a large door that was fitted with jewels. It glimmered in the setting sun, revealing patterns of a moon and stars etched on the door. In a flash, the door suddenly unlocked all on it's own, as if Empress had opened the door with her mind. He jumpd at the sight of it, but the woman quickly made her way inside, not even bothering to check if anyone was following her.

Not that she needed to, Omen was standing right behind them all, prodding them forward with his weapon, "alrighty then… everyone pipe down and go inside-! The Coronation will be startin' any moment now!"

"Hold up, this is where the whole thing's gonna be held at?" Tadatake questioned, seemingly disappointed as he peered inside the room first, "yo, I was expecting some kinda huge stage or some grand hall. What the heck's all this in here?"

"Do ya kids still wanna test me-?" Omen grumbled, glaring down at the group, "just get inside. Now." He ordered.

"The nerve of-! Hmph, always so pushy-!" Amelie scoffed, as she walked forward boldly.

Prince on the other hand felt his worries building up as everyone was pushed inside behind her. What was Tadatake talking about before? Was there something strange about the room? He could only hold his breath and ponder the matter as he stepped inside completely.

Once in, his eyes wasted no time feasting on the new sights around him, namely the sprawling red table placed in the center of the room which overflowed with a decorated surface of golden plates and goblets. Upon seeing this, he realized they had been brought to a large dining room, which was both spacious quite decorative. The floors were done in blood-red wood, as well as the walls in a darker shade as they had actual roses trailing up to a glowing chandelier. Tall arched windows lined the left side of the room, revealing the full ferocious might of the storm outside while the right held a few simple paintings and a door that led to what Prince guessed was the kitchen.

'So this is what Tadatake was so confused about…' He thought aloud, attempting to take in all the sights, 'I mean… this place is almost as big as a grand hall, but in actuality it's-'

"A dining room?! Oh my g-gosh!" To Prince's surprise, the first person to speak up was none other than Aimi, whose voice brightened as she twirled around cheerfully in the room, "look how big and f-fancy it is, it's perfect for a feast! So that must mean there's a kitchen nearby to bake sweet treats! Oh-! Imagine all of the tasty snacks I could deliver out into this beautiful room! And the table, I could fill it with hundreds of dishes if I w-wanted to!"

Even under an intense situation, the patissier still had the time to ramble on about sweets. It brought a smile to Prince's face as she continued to gush over the room to Fudo, who equally showed enthusiasm to the idea.

"You could throw a huge party in here if you wanted to!" Fudo smiled, "hey-! That's probably why the Coronation is getting held in here! That table fits all of us and is really pretty too!"

"Oh ho~! It's most certainly quite gorgeous, and the decoration is nothing to sneeze at either!" Hagoromo smiled and leaned to the side, letting her wild white hair dangle in the air, "my my, how cool and interesting! Everything is so fancy~!"

Koji however observed the area with an unsatisfied look it seemed. "It's… okay I guess- for a mansion dining room I mean," he muttered, briefly glancing in Omen and Empress's direction, "but it's not as if it's amazing or anything. It's all clearly just for show."

"Does it look like any of us care?" Albion shot down, focusing onto Omen and Empress, "more importantly, where's the owner of this place? Cause I'm looking around right now and I'm not seeing anyone fitting the description!"

"He will… be present… once… the… Coronation starts…" Empress spoke, as she turned away, "I… require for… you all… to find… your seats… to begin… at once…" She then left them without a care, suddenly moving towards the windows.

"Well, ya heard Emi! Everbody get movin'!" Omen ordered "go on, sit! I won't ask again-!"

Overwhelmed by his sudden hostility, Prince quickly moved along with everyone else to the table. He noticed then the chairs were exactlytly twenty-one organized, with the plates in front of them each holding only utensils, plates, and goblets. There were small cards situated above the plates that held the names of every person.

"Assigned seats?" Anata mumbled beside him, carefully inspecting her own card with diligent eyes, "so even our seating has been prepared in advanced…"

"What a curious matter. Perhaps there could be a purpose for such an arrangement," Amaya brought up thoughtfully as she took to her own spot. Before she sat down, however, her eyes widened and she brightly looked over to Prince's way, "oh my~! Look, Brother Prince, it appears we will be sitting together for the Coronation! I'd say this must be a stroke of good luck from Father Unsei!"

"We are…?" Hearing this, Prince scanned for his own card before quickly finding it between Amaya and Anata's seats, "o-oh-!" He breathed out in relief, "it looks like we are…" He was glad to be paired with her and Anata. The storyteller had always attempted to be truthful to Prince, and Amaya radiated a warmth that mirrored her mystical appearance. At least with them, he'd be sure to get through the Coronation without too much worry.

He couldn't say the same for others like poor Fudo, who was assigned to sit next to Amelie ironically.

"This has to be a joke… me and Minnie are sitting next to pink flamingo girl?!" Fudo whined as he broodingly took his seat at the other end of the table. Minnie squeaked something with an equally annoyed look, causing the magician to softly pet her, "yeah Minnie… I thought waking up in a deserted mansion was bad too, this is way worse."

"How dare you, an enfant, say that about moi!" Amelie fired back with an offended look before whirling toward Empress, "maid! You there, maid-!" She called out, "there must be some sort of mistake! I will not stand to be seated next to such filth during this évènement!"

It was a wonder in Prince's mind that Minnie didn't jump the perfumer right then and there. Perhaps Lukas's humbling presence between the two discouraged any potential conflict as he attempted to calm them both down. Seeing this, Prince turned his attention away from the trio to find Machi sitting right across from him between Uta and Kanna.

"Ah- I see! The seating arrangements go in order from boy-girl, boy-girl!" Machi exclaimed, also taking her seat and smiling at the assistant and swordsman, "so it looks like you two are going to be my seat buddies!"

Uta paid her no mind and took his seat between her and Kanon, but Kanna returned the smile with sincerity and nodded, "it d-does appear that way, yes! Do you need anything s-set up to make you feel more comfortable? I'll do whatever I-I can!"

"I don't think you need to do that Kanna," Jun politely expressed as he took his seat between Kanon and Xiuying, "Omen and Empress are already taking that job after all… notice how they're setting everything up for us?" He explained with a pointed finger.

Looking back at them, Prince noticed Jun was right. Omen was standing guard right in front of the door -the only exit- while Empress tightly closed the curtains, allowing only the soft light from the chandelier and candles to brighten the room.

"Yeah.. they're completely locking us in here…" Koji muttered out, his eyes scrunching up as he gripped the sides of the table, "and there's no sign of the Owner- where is he?" He repeated quickly, "why are we just alone in here? Didn't that… woman… say he'd finally come here once we're all seated?"

"Y-Yeah… I think we're all in place now, right?" Prince asked. Looking around, he could see that everyone was indeed in their seats.

On the right side where he sat, the very edge of the table started with Tadatake, then surprisingly Hania who didn't look all too pleased being seated next to the loud hockey player. After her was Koji, Luna, and Albion who didn't share any words with one another. Hagoromo and Stefano came next, right before Anata, himself, and Amaya at the other edge of the table.

Across from Tadatake on the left side sat Aimi, who offered a wave at the hockey player. She was seated next to Fudo, and then after him Amelie and Lukas. Xiuying, Jun, and Kanon followed after them, finishing off with Uta, Machi, and Kanna.

Yes, it seemed like every single person was seated, except for one. Interestingly, the twenty-first chair at the very end of the table was empty, its appearance different from the rest. It was gold in design, seemingly more fit for a king or queen, with strange patterns of stars etched into its wooden handles.

"There's one more chair left… how strange," Machi stroked her chin and peered at it closely, "so… there's actually twenty-one chairs here… but I don't see any kind of name card for who could be sitting there."

"It must belong to the owner of this establishment then," Amaya spoke thoughtfully. As she said this, she propped her marionette doll to sit alongside her, "we discussed his identity before… Sir Alexander, yes? It was said that we would be meeting him once the Coronation began, so he must eventually be taking his seat there."

"And what's to say that is his name, hm?" Xiuying questioned, staring harshly at the marionette maker, "you said it yourselves before, that was only a slip of the tongue on the brute's part, but we cannot be sure how reliable he might be."

"Scratch that, he's extremely unreliable," Kanon concluded with a roll of her eyes, "but considering that's all we have to go off of, I suppose that's the name we'll have to stick with for now until we hear otherwise."

The storyteller glanced at the card on the table and traced her name, which was done entirely in cursive, "that Empress girl… maybe she knows what his name is, but she hasn't said much of anything to us." All eyes turned to her, but the woman was now silently staring outside, her gaze transfixed on the snow.

"Well, obviously it's gotta be this acclaimed Alexander guy then!" A shout from Hagoromo stunned the group into silence as she quickly captured everyone's attention, "I mean come on, who else here seems fit enough to sit in that glorious chair (-"aside from me of course," she grinned-) than the one person who actually owns the place? It'd be completely anti-climatic if someone like… oh I don't know… let's say that Omen dude… sat in it… although that'd be pretty funny thinking about how he'd try~" She smiled with a sly glance.

"HEY-! I HEARD THAT-!" But Omen's roaring voice was masked by a few snickers of laughter from the group, notably from Fudo, and a small one from Prince despite his best efforts to mask it.

"Are you morons trying to get us killed faster?" Kanon shushed the table angrily, staring daggers at the demonologist, "I don't know if you've noticed, but we're not exactly in the best position to fool around with these people!"

"I was just trying to light up the mood~" Hagoromo teased, "besides these people haven't killed us yet, so why do we need to worry? They clearly need us for whatever they're planning, I assume whatever this 'game' is they're speaking about!"

'Oh yeah… that game they keep bringing up…' Prince wearily thought, 'just what is the point of it? What is the game even about…?' He didn't have a clue, and looking around, it seemed that no one else did either.

"D-Do you think it'll be a fun game?" Aimi hopefully asked, "like maybe a b-baking contest? I could do really good in that!"

"I'd like a baking contest too!" Fudo agreed, nodding his head wildly in excitement, "if that happens, we should team up Aimi!"

"Don't make me laugh with such idiotic ideas," Xiuying groaned with a roll of her eyes, "it's clearly nothing as stupid as that, especially since we've been brought here against our will! They must be planning something dreadful, I'm certain of it."

"Well… let's try and keep an open mind!" Machi reassured as she grinned, "whatever it is these people are planning, perhaps it might not be as bad as we're thinking. I mean, it can't be something too horrible if we're in a place like this, right? It's gorgeous!"

"Hmph, it's not the worst establishment I've ever seen," Amelie spoke, peeking around at the glimmering interior, "this place is at least luxurious enough to suit my taste, however, they need to make some staff changes as soon as possible. If the owner of this place at least did that, I honestly wouldn't mind staying here."

"You must be joking," Anata uttered in disbelief, "it's obvious this place is a wolf in sheep's clothing, gorgeous on the outside, but holding insidious intent underneath…"

Prince thought deeply on the matter as the group began to discuss the possibility. The manor was indeed nice-looking, and quite large for just one person as well. But to willingly stay there? Well, it could make for a good vacation home possibly, but he wasn't quite sure if he would be happy to stay in such an isolating place for too long, especially given he couldn't remember much about himself.

"We'll just have to wait and see what the deal is…" Tadatake spoke loudly as he kicked back in his chair, "the guy should show up any minute now to explain things right?"

"I am not so sure, this whole thing with whoever we're meeting is off to me," Stefano suddenly voiced, pulling all eyes toward him, "I have done many missions, and exorcized many demons from this world. But this-? It all reeks of a foul odor… the mysterious occurrences and these strange people. I cannot help but worry over who we might be dealing with."

"Somebody with way too much time on their hands that's for sure…" Albion grumbled as he tugged on his badge, "seeing as they had to install all those cheap monitors and cameras all over the house, and showed up late to their own damn meeting.'

"I was not referring to those things in particular… although they are undeniably bizarre as well," Stefano clarified, "I mean… the other things we've been witnessing. All of the strange happenings going on in this place."

"Oh-! You're talking about the magic we saw… aren't you mister Alex-?!" Fudo brightly beamed, revealing a toothy grin as he spoke on the topic.

"You people I swear," Kanon interrupted, letting out a harsh breath as she quickly took over the conversation, "how many times do I have to say it before it actually gets into your thick skulls? Magic. Doesn't. Exist. I mean seriously, we're in a possible life or death situation, and all you can think about are those cheap parlor tricks they've been showing us."

"Parlor tricks? Aha~! Oh my, you hurt me with such words! Truly you do! It's been a long… long time since I've ever been put in so much pain from someone's words, oh yes it has!"

Prince froze on the spot, along with the rest of the class as a voice echoed inside the room. It spoke with a hint of laughter, practically singing with a chilling, albeit gleeful tone all around them, "w-what…? Who's there-? Who's speaking right now" Prince spoke up, his eyes frantically looking around.

"Who's speaking…?" The voice rang out again, this time with a much more forceful tone, "who's speaking…? Speaking?" They repeated it again and again, dragging Prince's words along next to his very ear, "... I am speaking of course! Yes, it is I, your lovely host of the night! I apologize for keeping you all on your toes. It is a pleasure to finally see you all, yes!"

A cold breeze ran over him. Despite speaking so clearly, the voice wasn't anywhere in the room. The confused looks on the rest of the group revealed the same problem to him. Everyone had a clear view of the room, but no one was there.

"A-Ah! What's happening?" Aimi coward, attempting to slink herself back in her seat, "I… Is someone there…?"

"I don't see anybody around," Jun informed with a confused look, "the room's completely empty. Could there be a speaker playing nearby?" The escort looked around for such a thing but came up with nothing.

"I don't think I saw a speaker in the room," Machi brought up with a curious look, "and even if there was one hidden, I don't think it'd be this clear, right? It sounds… I dunno… like someone talking right next to my ear for some reason?"

"Empress. Omen. Please explain to us what going on now," Luna asked softly. But she didn't receive an answer from either of them. Empress was tight-lipped, staring absently into the air as if she saw something above them.

Meanwhile, Omen was struggling to hold in a grin, offering a knowing glance at the rest of the group, "shhh! Be quiet brats, this is the good part~ gahahahaha~!"

"Of course, you wouldn't be answering us," Albion grumbled as his hand hovered over his bandaged face, "as useless as ever. What the hell are you two even here for if you're not going to do your jobs properly."

"We don't need them, it's obvious who is speaking to us…" Uta expressed, his eye narrowing on the flickering candles as he put a hand to his sword, "the only question is… where are they hiding?"

"Wherever could I be hiding indeed?" The voice rang again, crawling up Prince's back and laying right next to his neck. "could I be in the walls? Under the floor? All in your mind? Or maybe… right beside… perhaps?" Now a tight, almost forceful grip tugged on Prince's shoulders, as the voice grew sickeningly louder, "where could I be? Does anyone care to guess? Anyone? Please, I'd be honored to hear, please, please please please tell me so!"

'T-This person… w-what in the world are they saying?' Prince couldn't make any sense of the rambling. He was too distracted by how loud the voice had become, as well as the stiffness now present in his shoulders. It was like someone was actually speaking right next to him… grabbing his shoulders tightly…

"P-Prince-!" Kanna's eyes suddenly went wide in fear as he pointed right at him, "b-behind-! B-Behind- y-you-!"

"H-Huh? What are you say-?" But before Prince could finish, something violently pulled him back against his seat, and to his utter horror, he found two gloved hands gripping tightly into his fragile shoulders, belonging to a man whose eyes were shining with darkness.

"A-AHAHHHHHHH-!" Prince screamed as he frantically ripped the hands off his shoulders, triggering an unholy chorus of panicked shouts from the group.

"IT'S A GHOST-! EVERYBODY RUN-!" Fudo shouted as he ran to hide behind his chair.

"W-What's happening-?! Someone tell me what's happening-!?" Koji demanded, his face breaking into a cold sweat as he covered his head, "why is Prince screaming-!?"

"Me protéger! Me protéger!" Amelie shrieked and held tightly onto Lukas's arms.

"Brother Prince!? Whatever is wrong-!?" Amaya cried, her eyes now wide and panicked as she reached out for him, "Sir Omen, Miss Empress, please, you must explain what's happening?!"

Empress only stared at the terrified group, but the marionette maker's worry was quickly silenced by the sound of Omen's roaring laughter. "GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-!" He doubled over, hands over his chest as he attempted to control himself, "now that was awesome sir! You got em' good! GAHAHAHAHA! You shoulda seen the look- GAHAHAH-! On their faces-!"

"H-Huh? W-What are you talking about-?" But Prince's words were suddenly cut off by yet another laugh… which was far more controlled than the samurai's, yet… held a pinch of amusement.

"Ahahahahaha~! Oh, what a joy! A joy indeed!" The unknown voice giggled, "it seems that some of you're all still quite jumpy! It's good to see some things never change around here!" The cold, disgusting tightness around Prince's shoulders dissipated then, allowing him to turn and stare face to face at the maniacally laughing person right beside him.

His eyes went wide though upon noticing… there wasn't a face.

To Prince's surprise, a polished white mask shone in place of where a face would be, seemingly animated in its design as the eyeholes squinted with manic delight. It quickly reminded him of Omen's strangely expressive skull, but this time… the movement came from an accessory hiding someone's identity. More specifically, the identity of a tall man, whose crystal laugh echoed in the dining room.

"What the hell-? Who the heck is this?" Tadatake was the first one to speak and point at the mysterious man, who only answered back in small giggles.

"I-I have no idea… but thankfully it's not a ghost…" Fudo breathed out in relief before crossing his arms, "um- d-don't worry, I totally wasn't um… nervous at all."

Hania muttered something at the end of the table to herself, although it was drowned out by Omen and the unknown man's laughter.

"Excuse me, what is the meaning of all this?!" Xiuying questioned harshly, slamming her hand on the table to silence the sinister duo, "just where did you come from!? It'd be wise for you to explain yourselves right now before I start to lose my patience!"

"Hey lady, ya better simmer down while the boss is in yer presence, got it?" Omen warned, his laugh suddenly transforming into his familiar dark growl.

"The... boss…?" Anata repeated with a sickening glare. The entire table went silent upon her saying that as well, and Prince's own heart suddenly stopped in place as he realized what was being said. The person standing in front of them…

"It's you… i-isn't it-?" Prince blurted out, his eyes wide, "you're… the Owner of this place, right?"

"Hm? Why yes I am!" The man revealed casually, not even seeming to understand the shock on the group's faces, "what appears to be the problem with that, everyone? I mean, you were all so talkative before my arrival! Is my sudden being here that distracting for you?"

"Distracting-? Dude, you just popped outta nowhere!" Tadatake exclaimed with a cautious tone, "talk about creepy, like- how did you even do that?"

"Why, it's simple Tadatake- I just waited for your arrival and came into the room," the man explained as he tightly gripped hold to a silver staff, "I had some time to kill, and was looking to have a little fun with you all! Especially little Prince over here!" The man attempted to pinch his cheeks, but Prince quickly swatted his hands away, "my my! How fierce! Did I startle you that badly?"

"O-Of course you did! I almost h-had a heart attack…" Prince breathed out, attempting to calm himself down at the shock from before, "h-how… do you know our names?"

"Why wouldn't I know your name?!" He brightly replied, raising his gloved hands high into the air, "if I'm to show my generous hospitality, I must know everything about you!" He clarified quickly, turning his attention to the rest of the group, "I mean, wouldn't it be rather odd of me as the host to not at least know the names of the lovely guests I took in?"

"It's odd that you were late to your own event," Jun pointed out as he dusted off his floral vest from the arrival, "what exactly was the hold up about?"

"Who cares about that! Are you trying to poke fun at me with such a ridiculous display?" Xiuying was the one to finally speak out what everyone was thinking, holding a defiant look toward the man in question as she stood from her seat, "we've been stuck in here for god knows how long, all because of you and your little band of social rejects, and yet you sit there like completely indifferent to it all!"

"HEY! Ya wanna say that again ya little-!?" But Omen suddenly went quiet as a devilish giggle cut into the room.

"Calm yourself Omen," The man breathed out, "it's reasonable for them to fear in stressful times such as this. It's been so long since they've woken up here… and speaking of which… are you all hungry? Perhaps thirsty? I may whip up some food and drinks for you all at once."

"What in the-? Why are you changing the subject?" Koji asked, his eyes growing harder, 'what do you want with us? Why did you gather us here?!" The undertaker's words grew sharper as he pummeled the Owner with question after question.

But the man simply laughed, and strolled around the table, tapping the corner of his mask, "that will all come in time! Do not worry everyone! I will answer everything that you wish to be answered, but first, I must welcome you to our glorious Coronation!" He cheered, "welcome! Welcome, everyone! It is a pleasure to finally meet you all!"

"It's a pleasure to m-meet you to-!" Kanna began to say, but he was quickly cut off by Albion.

"What a waste of my time," he scoffed as he glared at the Owner, "what's the deal here? To bring us here and put up this act, you're an even bigger nut job than I would've cared to believe."

"Oh no, nut job doesn't even begin to describe this case!" Hagoromo suddenly jumped in without a second thought, grinning mischievously as she spoke, "to go ahead and kidnap some of the world's most prominent top dogs is honestly one of the most batshit insane things I've heard in a while! And all with the audacity to not tell us your name either~!" Yet the demonologist didn't seem at all angered at the fact, instead leaning forward on the table with a playful laugh instead.

"Ooooh? But I thought you all knew my name, did you not?" The man questioned, his eyes squinting in curiosity, "I mean, silly little Omen here made sure you all knew of that with that huge mouth of his!" He jokingly hit the samurai's chest with a silver staff, although he seemed deathly silent as he did so.

"Well… I mean-" Omen quickly sputtered out, shaking his hands in front of him, "it was just the brats were being difficult and I- well you see I didn't mean to say yer name-!"

"Ah-ha!" Fudo suddenly exclaimed, a triumphant look entering his face, "you just admitted it, what you blurted out before was a name! So it must've been Alexander, right~?!" He cheered, "looks like you were right on your assumption Kanna! You called it out perfectly from before!"

"I did…!?" Kanna suddenly smiled upon hearing the news, "oh… i-it was just me a-assuming it… I didn't r-really have a basis for saying that name…. b-but I'm glad at least we do know for… certain now!"

"Gah! Wait- I didn't mean to-!" Omen caught himself then and worriedly backtracked, "u-uh I mean- I didn't say anything! Whaddya morons talking about?! I-I didn't- um-!" He gripped tightly onto his weapon as he flubbed over his words left and right. "sir what do I do-?"

"Oh Omen, please don't concern yourself over such a thing!" The man suddenly whisked over to his chair and lightly chuckled, "they were all bound to hear it from me eventually. It is as you have guessed, I am the Owner of this fine establishment. You may refer to me as Alexander from now on. A pleasure to make your acquaintance my dear guests." He waltzed out of the growing darkness and bowed his head respectfully, but kept his eyes pointed directly at the group, Even though he wore a mask, Prince couldn't help but feel as if he was smiling brightly as he took them all in, and somehow the image in his head brought him even more discomfort.

Seeing as he fully revealed himself, Prince studied the man briefly. His appearance was more on the colorful side compared to Omen and Empress. He had a long overcoat covering his sturdy frame with solid shoulder pads. The coat was drenched in royal red to contrast the dark blue vest and oversized top hat he wore. He had on a neat white high collar underneath the vest, which was the same color as his fluffy cravat. As for his trousers, they were done in black and were quite long, the ends stuffed neatly into long jet black boots that held gold outlining at the tips and sides.

Finally came his hair, which was hard to describe, but it reminded Prince of a fancy mustache with curved tips, but in the design of hair. The two rope-like tendrils behind his poofy hair flowed out like the ends of ribbons, and he held a strange silver staff, etched with ornate patterns of stars. The outfit offered a sense of class and sophistication, yet the man's uncontrollable laughter indicated the opposite for his personality. and Prince couldn't help but be unnerved by the lack of any physical traits to identify Alexander either.

"So you really are the mysterious Owner we've been looking for," Uta breathed out, his gaze entirely focused on Alexander, "I see now… all of this is your doing then. Those notes at the start, these watches, our being here… all of it."

"But of course! Although I'll confess I did have a tiny bit of help~" He gleefully explained, gesturing to Omen and Empress. The samurai grinned in response, but the woman only looked away after being spoken to, "this very Coronation, and the entire house you stand in now, is owned by yours truly~ Which reminds me-! How do you like it here?"

"To be honest, I find it all bizarre personally," Stefano spoke, planting his suspicious gaze on Alexander as he adjusted his coat, "do you really own this place? This home is far too large for just a single person, and even including Omen and Empress, it feels… empty to me. Did you design this house for your plan possibly?"

Alexander blinked silently for a few moments, scratching his head in confusion, "oh? My plan? Whatever do you mean? I'm just doing what's expected of me as the glorious host of this little event!" Alexander brightly claimed, raising his gloved hands high into the air, "after all, it'd be strange of me to not show hospitality to my esteemed guests within the walls of my home."

"Esteemed guests? Esteemed guests?!" Amelie laughed, "ha! Ne me fait pas rire! Your servants over there have such a funny way of showing that! Why, I was dragged here by the tip of my heels because of that brute over there-'' a disgruntled huff from Omen could be heard out of earshot "-and then afterward he attempted to threaten me!"

"For once- that dumb blonde over there is right…" Kanon scoffed as the two girls gave each other the stink eye, "there's no way this is because of "hospitality" or whatever crap you're trying to pull. You're trying to reel us into a false sense of security… lower our guard for whatever reason..."

"You all must surely be mistaken," Alexander beamed innocently, "I only wish to wine and dine with you all before we play our little game! It's been far too long since I've had any sort of company after all, aside from Empress and... Omen... that is."

"Ya say that like it's a bad thing, sir…" Omen grumbled with crossed arms, his face appearing worried.

Amaya appeared just as concerned, her eyebrows furrowing with worry as she spoke up, "excuse me, sir Alexander I must ask of you this one thing. I am quite confused about this game you and your staff mentioned. We have heard of it many times, but we have yet to be given an explanation. Would you please illuminate for us?"

"Amaya…" Alexander interrupted, his voice growing quiet as he turned his entire focus on her, "my humblest apologies, it seems I have been rambling on again! Aha~!" He snapped his head back and covered his mask, as if attempting to hide his face as he looked away from everyone, "please forgive me, I will finally tell you all this matter over drinks, ta-da!" He pointed a staff in the air and laughed brightly.

"W-Wait… drinks?" Prince slowly questioned, scratching part of his cheek. But before he could continue, a small gasp from Amaya quickly interrupted him, as he noticed her lifting her goblet up delicately with a wondrous look of awe.

"Oh my? Now when did my drink-?" Amaya sputtered beside him. From what he could see, it was now filled to the brim in sparkling orange liquid.

'W-What in the-? When did the cups get filled-?' He quickly checked his own, and to his surprise found a similar sight. His own cup had been completely filled, but with a cool sea green liquid instead that reflected his shocked face back onto him, 'wait… they were empty a second ago though…? How did they get filled up so fast-?' He looked around quickly to find everyone else sharing similar looks of confusion.

"I figured you were all rather parched," Alexander explained quickly, "especially considering you've been wandering around aimlessly for god knows how long now." He revealed his own glass filled with red wine and gave it a small toast, "so cheers everyone! It's a pleasure to finally come together after all this time! Now let us drink!"

Prince gave a weary look at Alexander before staring into his own drink. Seeing the cool liquid reminded him of how dry his throat had become in the previous hours. The urge to chug it all down was hard to resist, but he couldn't be too sure if the drinks were safe. He stared up to Machi, who was studying her drink before meeting his eyes.

If only he would have spoken telepathically to her, he would've asked, '"I don't think we should drink these…"' They both stared at each for a short bit of time before she shook her head and pointed at her drink, seemingly in agreement even if he knew that was impossible. But still, he breathed out, slightly satisfied that at least she was having the same thoughts as him… and as he looked around it appeared like they weren't alone. No one aside from Alexander was drinking.

'Wait… how is Alexander drinking right n-now?' Prince wondered, 'he's wearing a mask-?'

"Now what's with all the weariness folks?" Alexander suddenly asked, breaking up the uneasy silence between everyone, "is there something troubling you about the drinks?" He glanced around the table and lightly laughed, "are there any qualms with the taste perhaps? Or maybe the way it looks? I would implore you to tell them now, as to offer me with some critical feedback of course."

"And why would they have any problems, sir?" Omen grumbled as his grip tightened around his weapon, "I mean- your drinks always taste great!"

"We have every right to be suspicious of your mixology skills," Xiuying raised her chin slightly and scoffed in disgust, "only a mindless fool would ignorantly accept a drink from strangers, much less strangers who have taken them against their will."

"Is that so?" Alexander sighed depressingly, "to suggest I tampered with your little treats is rather disheartening towards all my hard work. I only wish for you all to feel comfortable here! But if it is that off-putting for you, very well then. I'll have Empress to replace them at once for you if that's the case!" All eyes turned to the pale woman, who with a slow wave of her hand allowed a new set of cups to appear out of the blue, filled with a new type of liquid.

"W-What?" Prince sputtered out in shock. The new drink this time was clear and lacked any color this time, most likely water upon closer observation, "o-okay seriously how are you doing that?"

"Doing what?" Alexander asked innocently.

"Making these drinks appear and disappear!" Albion reiterated with a much more forceful tone, "this is the second time you've pulled something like this, I want some kind of explanation!"

Alexander chuckled into his gloved hand as he rose his glass, "have you really not gotten it yet? I assumed all my displays throughout my home would get the point across, but for some reason, it seems that you're all ignorant to my displays of glorious magic!"

'So even this guy says that it's magic…' Prince thought carefully, "so all of those strange things w-we've been seeing around the house. That was magic?"

Kanon breathed out loudly in annoyance, "how many times do I have to say this!? Magic. Doesn't-!"

"You're right on the money Prince!" Alexander interrupted as he raised an excited thumbs up, "it's always existed, far before even my time! And if you don't believe me! I can give you an even bigger display right… now!"

Suddenly the table shook, and the candles placed around began to float into the air, twirling aimlessly without any force of gravity. Prince was too stunned to speak at such a spectacle, to the point that he almost didn't realize that he had reached out to try and touch one of them. But before he could, the candles began to burn bright like stars, circling around Alexander and bursting into colorful flames as they melted into wax that dripped into his hands.

"Oh ho~! What a magnificent display!" Hagoromo laughed as she clapped her hands, "do something else! Do something else!"

Alexander took a small glance at the demonologist and then suddenly snapped his fingers. On command right then and there, wax suddenly floated into the air and molded into the shape of a rose, before suddenly melting away and revealing a fiery flower. The flames flickered and sparked, but never left the shape of the rose it took form of, nor did it burn away until Alexander brightly whisked away the fire. And in its place was left a rose, a real rose, thorns and all that he brightly tossed over to the demonologist.

"Ah! Oh...by the love of Father Tsuki… that was-!" Amaya stood up in awe, her eyes sparkling in wonder as she excitedly clapped her hands in an ecstatic revelation, "I knew it. I knew it!" She beamed brightly, "Brothers and Sisters have you seen it! Finally, with my own eyes, I see the proof! Magic.. it is real!"

"Woah! That was incredible!" Machi laughed as she stared at the rose, "did all that wax really make that? Is it real Hagoromo?"

The demonologist touched it delicately and suddenly chuckled with glee, "well would you lookie here! It's completely real~"

"W-What? There's no way, let me see?!" Kanon literally crawled atop the table and snatched it away, touching the petals and stem, "there's- there's no way, that was an over-glorified stage trick!" Kanon shouted, her eyes growing even harder, "there's no way you could do something like that without hiding it somewhere beforehand!"

"I'm a magician, and I've never seen any trick like that before!" Fudo brightly clapped, "that wasn't a match or anything disguised, that was an uncontrollable fire made from wax that just took the form of a real flower! There's no way that could ever happen unless gravity turned off or something! And even then, that wouldn't explain the flower being made by it!"

"This is a sign then…" Luna uttered happily, a tired smile growing on her face, "although I don't understand this form of magic, it proves that otherwordly powers do indeed exist in our reality. It was only a matter of time before it revealed itself to us."

"Well damn, never thought I'd live to see the day," Albion slowly said, taking far more interest in the rose than Prince initially would've thought, "whatever the heck just happened right now, I want it all explained to me."

"I… I do as well…" Hania uttered, clearly confused at the sight of what she had witnessed, "you just… made a rose out of… actual fire? How?"

The entire table came to life as everyone swarmed Alexander with questions. But the man simply giggled and took another sip of his glass. As for Prince, he could only sit there in wonder as he contemplated what he'd seen. Was magic actually real? Or was it just a stage act like Kanon said? He couldn't be certain either way, but he did notice that everyone now was definitely more interested in Alexander than before.

"Now that was a dinner icebreaker if I've ever seen one!" Alexander chuckled, "my dear guests, what you've seen before you is my little example of Light! It is a force Omen, Empress, and I can manipulate on a whim to do anything we want!"

"Not… anything… we want…" Empress suddenly corrected, staring back at Alexander, "there's a limit... to the-"

"Oh yeah yeah yeah! Of course, not anything we want!" Alexander corrected, "but I don't have time to get into what it can and cannot do! After all, that's what Empress is for! You can see her as a sorta magic encyclopedia!" All eyes turned to the woman then, who only returned their gaze with an emotionless expression.

"Anywho!" Alexander continued, "she's meant to be a kind of Informer to any other questions you might have about Light energy after this Coronation… amongst a few other things…" He finished off with a sickening giggle.

"Among other things…?" Stefano asked wearily, "what else… does she do then…?"

"That will all come later! Just know for now she's a trusted friend to you all! As well as Omen if you don't get on his bad side!" Alexander brightly said as he pulled the two in happily for a hug, "I should have you know they might act cold and heartless on the outside… but are actually biiiiigggg softies on the inside, isn't that right you two?"

Empress gave no reaction, but Omen seemed highly embarrassed as he struggled to avert his gaze from everyone. "D-Don't say stuff like that sir! How am I supposed to retain my renowned status as a warrior if ya keep makin' me look soft!" He worriedly whined.

"Oh calm yourself Omen, I was just teasing~" The owner brightly exclaimed before quickly turning back to the rest of the students, "anywho- I know you were all curious about their roles here, so there it is! As the Informer, Empress will help explain the intricacies of Light energy within her own time, and Omen… well, he's more here to make your stay as chaos-free as possible! As for me, well I'm just here to look pretty~"

"W-What? Prince sputtered out.

"I'm joking of course!" Alexander quickly laughed and swayed merrily in his chair, "I just mean to make you all feel comfortable during your time here and answer any other questions for… other matters. Right after we finish drinking of course!" He clapped, "the longer you let it sit there, the warmer it will become after all… and that's no good!"

Uta scowled and turned his gaze away from Alexander, "I'm not thirsty, and even I were, I wouldn't drink anything from you."

"Do you think this is some kinda joke to us?" Kanon followed up, pushing her own drink away, "you really think that the little show you put on and passing out these drinks will make us trust you?"

"More or less," Alexander beamed innocently.

"You're delusional." In a surprising turn, Anata's gaze grew cold toward Alexander, "you had two people attacked here because of some rules you failed to mention… why would we drink something from any of you?"

"Précisément! You took the words right out of my mouth," Amelie agreed, slowly pulling the cup away from her lips and dapping them lightly with a cloth.

…

…

…

"Sister Amelie… ah… did you just… finish your entire drink?" Amaya concerningly asked, offering her a sympathetic look, "might I suggest taking smaller sips next time as to not choke on-"

"Hm? Did anyone hear that? I didn't hear anything… shut up- a-ahem-!" With a cough Amelie waved away Amaya's words and simply finished the glass, "anyway monsieur- I finished your glass and I must say it was delectably refreshing. Your servant did an excellent job on the glass unlike some imbéciles here…" She shot a look toward Fudo, who stuck out his tongue in reply.

"Are you insane, what do you think you're doing?!" Kanon spat out, her eyes looking furious, "those drinks could've been-!"

"Silence you tasteless brunette!" Amelie ordered, earning her a glare from the doctor, "I've been dying of thirst since the moment I awoke here. Not to mention, I was dragged around by the filthy enforcer for simply exploring at my own pace. The least I deserve is a verre froid for all my troubles."

"But… you don't feel dizzy or anything?" Machi asked with concern, "you're feeling okay, right?"

"Of course I am," Amelie answered, "after all, I watched that oaf, Tadatake I believe, drink his cup without hesitation. Nothing happened so, I just followed suit."

"T-Tadatake?!" Aimi cried. Everyone looked over at the hockey player, and sure enough, his cup was empty, "ah-! You d-drank it all without telling us?! Are you okay?!"

"Woah, what's all the worrying about? I'm totally fine, it was just water wasn't it?" Tadatake attempted to explain, "I wasn't thinking there was stuff or anything in them. It just tasted normal."

"It did? And you're sure there wasn't anything weird to the taste?" Koji double-checked, and with a nod, the hockey player grinned.

"Yeah! It was perfectly a-ok dudes!" He gave a big thumbs up, sending a wave of relief across the table.

'So it's really okay… we're not g-going to get hurt if we drink this?' Prince looked back at his glass, and suddenly he felt his throat going dry once again. He attempted to swallow to be rid of the feeling, but it lingered uncomfortably as he stared at the flowing liquid. 'Well… I guess one sip couldn't hurt.'

He took a deep breath and put the cup to his lips. The liquid sped past his mouth and rushed into his throat, providing a sweet, almost cooling sensation that coated his mouth. It tasted… well just like water. Tadatake was telling the truth. He scanned the rest of the class after he finished. One by one, they all began to down their drinks as well. Some with eagerness, like Hagoromo. Some with hesitance, like Albion and Hania. Some had to use a straw... like Lukas, who still didn't take off his helmet interestingly enough.

Seeing everyone drinking brought the most defiant Xiuying and Kanon to eventually join them, though they didn't look at all too happy about it. Interestingly to Prince, Anata's face hardened as well, but with a small bite of her lip, she breathed in and slowly drank the liquid in one go. Uta however, was the last to touch the drink, muttering to himself about how stupid the whole thing was before taking a sip.

"See? Now that wasn't so hard was it? Isn't this better than pointlessly dueling it out? We're having a civilized discussion over dinner!" Alexander laughed, a joyous hand holding out his glass of wine in celebration. He was only met with a cold stare from the rest of the group, "oh come on now, why the long faces? We haven't even dug into the main course yet!"

"Main course…?" Koji repeated, narrowing his eyes wearily, "there's more…?"

"Of course there's more! What dinner would be complete without a five-star ensemble meal?" Alexander smiled, "I'll bring out the dishes at once for your consumption!"

"Oooh yeah baby, I'm starvin'!" Omen grinned, rubbing his hands together excitedly, "come on, bring out the big boys! If they don't eat it first, I'll just take it all instead~!"

"Omen…" Empress uttered, showing no sign of emotion, but clearly taking an interest in the samurai's sudden appetite.

"No, that's enough," Uta spat out, clearly disgusted at what he was witnessing, "listen here and listen good Alexander, this laughable charade of… courtesy… you're displaying my patience. What exactly are you trying to accomplish here? Why have you done all of this?"

"Kamiya…" Alexander laughed, causing the swordsman's face to sharpen, "please rest assured that this isn't a charade at all~ I genuinely want to make you and your friends feel comfortable. After all…if you're not comfortable… how will you be able to adjust to your new home?"

…

…

…

"New… home?" Prince repeated, completely confused.

He looked over at Amaya and Anata beside him. The storyteller's face darkened upon hearing the words, as if she had already figured out what he was trying to say. Amaya appeared just as clueless as he did though, her head slightly tilted and her eyes squinted, "Sir Owner… whatever do you mean by that?"

"I'm a bit lost on all this too," Tadatake grumbled as scratched his cheek, "we've already come into this Coronation, drank some of your water, and listened to your frankly drawn-out small talk. What more do you want?"

"Well, I haven't explained anything at all yet," Alexander giggled, "it's as you've pointed out, I've just been making small talk. I only just wished to meet with all of you and feast as I explained everything, but it seems you wish to skip over all the pleasantries. Such a shame, I really did enjoy talking with all of you in a peaceful context! I knew it wouldn't last long… but I truly did hope everything could've turned out a little longer!"

"What are you talking about sir?" Jun asked politely, putting a hand over his chest as he calmly looked around, "we just wished to have some of our questions answered about this place, why do we need to get rid of the pleasantries?"

"Because the news you're about to hear… may be too upsetting to ignore." Alexander's voice changed then. It grew hollower as he spoke, his mask darkening as it did. Prince could feel the tense air shift into something far more terrifying as the reality of the situation came upon them.

"Upsetting?" Machi repeated, putting a finger onto her cheek, "now what exactly might be upsetting?"

Alexander tilted his head and laughed once more, "you see, I wish for you all to stay with me in this lovely home of mine. I have prepared-"

"W-Wait, what?" Prince sputtered out, a little shocked at what he was hearing, "you wish for us to stay here?"

"Oh wait no, I phrased my words incorrectly, I apologize," Alexander giggled, "I'm not wishing for you to remain here. You're going to be staying here for quite a while!"

'Huh…? We're… going to be staying here?' Prince looked nervously about and found everyone equally confused.

"Is that why all the doors were locked?" Luna thought aloud as she stared at the chandelier above, "it's to keep us within this house?"

"We only h-have to stay here for a short time though, r-right-?" Aimi hopefully asked, "at least until t-the storm clears outside? That must be the reason you're keeping us here, to protect u-us from it, right?!"

Omen suddenly doubled over and burst out laughing, causing Aimi's hopeful smile to falter, "w-why a-are you laughing? D-Did I say something w-wrong?"

"Somethin' crazy more like it!" Omen answered, "ya see, the boss is the one controlling that storm! Actually, scratch that, blizzard's a better word to describe it!"

"That storm out there… that's happening because of you?" Lukas asked wearily, his gaze landing on Alexander, who only waved at him innocently.

"Now hold on now- that's impossible," Kanon refuted, "no one can control the weather. A multitude of different factors determines that. The climate, geography, and present season for example. All of it plays a part, which means that storm has to die out at some point."

"Aha! So quick to correct now doctor," Alexander chuckled, "really you're making me blush with just how adorable you are!" And then with a whirl of his staff, large plumes suddenly shot up against the ice-covered windows, the ferocity alone being enough to crack the glass. "I must say, I'm quite hurt you still don't believe such wondrous magic! But don't worry, you'll have all the time in the world to see if I'm lying about that or not! After all, I intend to keep you here inside my beautiful home… until the very end of your lives… forever… and ever…"

"W-What?!" Prince's shock joined in with a sudden uproar of voices around him, belonging to most of the other students whose expressions morphed into utter disbelief. "T-That makes no sense! Why would you ever do such a thing?!"

"There ain't gotta be a reason to it!" Omen brushed off, "this is just how it's going to be for all of ya! So ya better get comfy while up in here! After all that storm out there's gettin' a whooooole lot worse it looks!" He grinned deviously.

"Get… comfortable…?" Hania quietly spoke, her voice growing increasingly tense, "you can't… be serious about us staying forever."

"Considering everything they've done though, that seems to be the case," Jun expressed with concern, "I mean… we all woke up in those bedrooms at the start of all this right? And they had plates of our faces on them, meaning they could possibly be assigned rooms. And we got keys for them as well, for an extended stay…"

"That's also probably why some of the facilities here… look brand new and modern, " Luna chimed in, moving her fingers delicately along her staff as she was deep in thought, "if you indeed were the one who put them together… then you've been planning on us staying here for a long time now… weren't you?"

"Haha, interesting observation! I couldn't have pointed it out any better myself!" Hagoromo grinned and leaned forward with an expected look, "soooooo Mr. Alexander? Are they right on the money with their explanation? Hm?"

"How generous of you two to point all of that out!" Alexander laughed, "you are correct! Those rooms and all of these facilities present will be available to make living here say… a little more bearable for you all! And no need to worry about resources such as food either…" He further elaborated before suddenly whisking brand new drinks and dishes onto the table, "as you have already seen… we are in plentiful supply!"

"Who cares about the supply?! I want out of here!" Koji suddenly snapped, turning his sharp eyes toward Alexander, "do you hear me?! Stop messing around and let us out!"

"Hmph, si têtue, why are you all upset?" Amelie questioned, crossing her arms with a pointed chin raised high above them, "I believe this place is definitely a step up from whatever sorry lives you led before, so why the complaining?"

"Are you crazy?" Kanon's face soured, "why would anyone want to be willingly trapped here? I still have work to be done out of this place!"

"You won't be going anywhere as long as I'm in charge," Alexander beamed with a pointed finger, "just stay content… and die here. Die peacefully. And everything will be okay. Live and die. Die. Die. Die…!"

"Die…?" Prince couldn't believe what he was hearing. To stay inside this place… until… death? He couldn't even remember anything of his own life to compare this all to. To just wake up here… and be told he'd die here as well. It took all his strength to just hold onto the present, for his mind was already painting the picture of his own death, surrounded by nothing but darkness… and the people he just met.

"I… I don't… I don't want to die here… either…" Prince let out. He had forgotten so much of the world already, and now his very future was slipping through his hands, "p-please- you can't keep us locked up here-! W-We can't-! I can't-!"

"Brother Prince-!" Amaya was suddenly by his side, clutching his hand tightly as to remind him where he was, "don't worry, everything is going to be alright, I assure you-! Someone will eventually track us down… after all, if twenty students suddenly vanished out of the blue, the authorities would look into such a matter!"

"Precisely!" Xiuying spat out bitterly as she stood, "once the media catches wind of all this, you'll be caught and tried within a day, specially considering you've taken me hostage of all people. I understand my prestige goes far beyond everyone here, but you would still be wise to let me go at once before my family gets involved!"

"Aha-!" The entire table went silent at a sudden trickle of laughter that escaped Alexander. "Oh please forgive my little slip there… I just find that idea so amusing, really I do. The idea of anyone finding you that is…"

"W-Why is that so mister?" Fudo asked with a serious look, "I mean, you do realize you've captured Grandview students right?! Doesn't that name ring any bells? They're going to be looking for us nonstop if we end up missing!"

"Oh? Is that soooooo?" Alexander inquired with a surprised look, "how interesting… Perhaps I severely underestimated your blind optimism to such a pitiful idea. If that's the case though… then I can't wait to see how they'll manage to accomplish such an impossible feat!"

"I-Impossible?" Aimi shook, "n-no… Fudo's right- our parents- a-and the entire world, a-as a matter of fact, would grow concerned if we weren't present for our entrance ceremony!

Koji nodded along frantically in agreement, "exactly! Our disappearance will be documented and there will be search parties-! People will come looking for us, they have to!"

Anata began to hum an uncertain tune, her eyes conflicted, "I dunno… thinking logically, that would indeed bring some unnecessary attention Alexander's way… but… look at him… he doesn't seem to be worried about that possibility at all."

"I found that particularly interesting as well~!" Hagoromo beamed, "for someone to kidnap a bunch of Grand students and then lock them away in here is pretty ballsy. Why would you risk pulling something like that off then, if you didn't know for a fact you could!?"

"Guys hold on, we're talking about Grandview academy though," Jun reassured, his face growing slightly hopeful, "it doesn't change the fact that they'd still be looking for us. After all, they'd spare no expense in tracking down their missing students. And as long as they're looking, there's always the slightest chance we can be rescued!"

"With that mess of a storm going on outside?" Albion pointed out, gritting his teeth, "It'd be a miracle if anybody even got close to the house."

"So.. we really are stuck here?" Stefano breathed out, his eyes entirely wide, "that makes no sense, we were supposed to be attending Grandview Academy. Why… Why aren't we there?"

"Guys, it's going to be okay!" Machi suddenly stood from her seat, appearing a tiny bit nervous, but still composed enough to calmly speak to Alexander, "listen, Alexander… there... there has to be some sort of alternative option here. I'm not sure exactly what it is you could even want… but let's try and think about this logically. What kinda end goal would be worth keeping twenty grand students trapped here forever? I mean, I dunno about you, but I feel like that would be tiresome for you, wouldn't it? So… there's gotta be something else you want, something that-!"

"What I want?" Alexander's seemingly bright attitude faded in an instant as he turned toward the mediator, "why... I just want you all to participate in this game with me."

There was that word again. "Game"… he had heard it so many times now that it was simply spinning around in his head. But this time, it brought a chill to his very heart, as the word slipped out of Alexander's tongue like a snake, oozing with a vile and sickening tone. His giggling right after he spoke didn't help at all quell Prince's worry either.

Machi seemed to have a similar worry, as she spoke with a slight frown, "hmmmm, what sort of game are we talking about here Alexander?"

A brief silence overtook the scene as Alexander's gaze locked onto Machi with sudden glee, "only the best kind of games for the best kind of guests," he informed, "of course that being all of you right now! Isn't that such a high honor to receive?"

"Yeah! All of ya should be grateful that Alexander is even allowing you to participate in this game!" Omen boasted, "he's usually vvverrrryyy picky about the type of guests he allows in here, so consider yourself lucky he's the one callin' the shots!"

"It wasn't a coincidence then," Uta declared, "all our being here as only Grand students were intentional. I figured as much considering if that isn't the case… you would've nabbed any other poor schmuck out there for whatever this game you have planned is" -a look of disdain overtook his expression then as he locked his gaze coldly into Alexander's eyes.

"Well of course it was intentional," Albion scoffed while shaking his head, "we're usually sought out anyway because of our talents, so to be gathered together like this means you must want to make some kind of statement with your game… right?"

"Oh no no no! You've got it all wrong, my friends…" Alexander retorted with a quick laugh, "I wouldn't say I'm picky about my guests at all. Rather… I couldn't invite anyone else but all of you to spend these next few delicious moments with me. So consider this game… a personal alternative of mine!"

"Wow… we're so honored…" Anata replied with an indifferent look, "so what's even the purpose of this game anyway? You've gone through all this trouble gathering us together, but you still haven't specified anything concrete for us to gnaw on."

"Always so eager to reach the conclusion now aren't we dear storyteller?" Alexander joked, "how ironic of you, especially given your title. Out of every soul here, shouldn't you of all people be aware that not every story or question is answered within a day? It would ruin all the fun of the narrative if we allowed something like that!"

"Pardon me for speaking out of turn sir… but this isn't a story, or anything to be taken lightly," Lukas suddenly voiced, "the severity of what you've done here is enough to warrant anyone's suspicion or need of answers. You've taken every soul here against their will with no explanation after all, had one of your men threaten violence on us on multiple occasions and-"

"Blah Blah Blah! All I'm hearin' over there is a chump still butthurt that they got their ass kicked earlier!" Omen mocked with a large grin.

"What? I have no care about that duel at all now..." Lukas confessed, "I've accepted and learned from the outcome of it… but concerning my classmates' treatment, I find this entire situation to be absolutely unacceptable on your end sir."

"Unacceptable? It's even worse than that dude!" Tadatake stood up and pointed his glare at Alexander, "it's like- total bullshit that we just randomly wake up in the middle of this weird-ass mansion and get treated like this! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

"Oh dear, well if everyone's dog-piling onto the same issue here, then I must sincerely apologize for all that's happened to you during your time here…" Alexander bowed, and to his credit, he actually did seem a little sorry given the serious tone in his voice, "to make it up to you… I will have Empress explain how you can leave this place if you participate in the game!"

"O-Of course, I'll do anything if everyone else gets to leave!" Kanna nodded quickly, "j-just let me know whatever it is!"

Alexander's eyes lightened up, but for some reason, Prince couldn't help but worry as the Owner turned excitedly over to Empress. The woman then stared up at the group, and softly spoke, "the… rules are… quite simple. If you…. wish to… leave… you must… exchange… something… deeply valuable. Something …that can never… ever… be taken back."

"Something that can't be taken back?" Machi repeated as she squinted, "this sounds like a sort of riddle. What can't be taken back?"

"S'il te plaît, the answer is obvious!" Amelie smirked, "he wishes for us to give him money! I knew it was a ransom-type situation."

"Do you not see where we're standing right now?" Kanon sneered as she gestured around the glimmering dining room. "he said something valuable, not something that he already has. It literally takes a little common sense to realize that." The two girls glared at each other now, ready to fight.

"Ignoring those two, what could it be?" Stefano asked with a cautious tone, "it seems this manor already has everything a person could want, and everyone always has different ideas of what is and isn't valuable to them."

"What about your lives then?" Alexander's words dragged hauntingly along the walls and floors, but there was a joyous shine to his voice as he spoke, bright enough for every single person to hear. "I think we can all agree that nothing is more valuable than the priceless gift of life itself. To live is a gift, something that should be cherished, to be experienced!"

"To exchange… our l-lives…?" Prince repeated, the words gripping into his heart and tearing it down, "but… you're already doing that by k-keeping us here… what more… could anyone's life offer…?" He truly couldn't fathom what the man was trying to say.

"Who... said it had… to be… your life specifically... to... exchange?" Empress spoke, her cold voice echoing.

"What are you saying now...?" Luna interjected, her eyes reasonably weary, "do you mean you wish for us to do something with someone else's life then? But how can that not be taken back?"

"Wait…!" Everyone's attention turned to the undertaker as he suddenly stood up, the chair falling behind him as he began to breathe heavily. "T-There's… there's no way!"

"K-Koji? W-What's wrong?" Prince stammered, but it didn't seem like his words were reaching him.

"J-Just think about what he's saying now..." Koji spoke slowly, arriving at a conclusion that scarily made his sharp eyes grow wide, "to exchange another's life aside from your own... that must mean- he can't seriously be suggesting that we-!"

"What else do you think I could be suggesting my dear undertaker?" Alexander interrupted, his eyes beginning to glow a haunting red color, "simply put- if you take someone else's life here, I'll be more than satisfied enough to allow you to leave this place! That's the reward for playing my little game~!"

The room had grown eerily quiet over the words, the news finally sinking into the shocked students around him. Prince in particular could hear the word ringing around in his head, but he couldn't comprehend such a thing. Take someone's life? Exchange it for their own? He stared at everyone else around him, his worried eyes flickering from face to face.

Most were shocked, stunned, in disbelief at what was being said. Some it seemed were unaffected like Luna and Lukas, while others like Albion were staring furiously at Alexander. But everyone though... was completely silent…

Until Amaya suddenly spoke up, "I'm… I'm sorry sir… what did you just propose now?" She asked in shock, her eyes wide and mouth slightly agape.

"GAHAHAHAHA! Do ya'll have poor hearing or something?!" Omen booming laughter shook the very table, "to put it simply- the man said if ya wanna leave, ya have to participate in a killing game to get out!"

"Well… we uh… we understand that part…" Machi uneasily laughed along, "but um… we're just wondering if um… that was a joke…? Cause if it was I mean… that was a good attempt at least! I'll give you that! But you might want to reconsider some other method of-"

"Does it look like I'm joking Machi…?" Alexander's voice dropped at once as his glare fixed directly into Machi's eyes, "you all wanted an explanation about the game! So I'm giving it to you! See? You have to kill each other! If you want to leave, simply do that without getting caught, and you're golden folks! Golden! I don't care how you do it! Everything goes! Stabbing! Strangling! Electrocution! Poisoning! Starvation even-!" He listed them off quickly, almost skipping fingers in a chaotic rhythm. "In fact torture them for days upon days upon days until they're begging for the mercy of death! It doesn't matter to me!"

"W-What in the-!? What crazy talk are you rambling out now?!" Tadatake's anger flashed into an enraged fury as he stood from his seat, practically knocking his own chair back as well, "have you lost your damn mind!? Why do you think we would ever do such a thing!?"

"Exactly- it's completely illogical…" Kanon followed up, although with a much more restrained tone. Though her face looked like it was about to erupt, "dragging us here, spending all this money… just to host a ridiculous game. There has to be another reason here, or some other option at least!"

Alexander placed a finger to his chest and laughed a sweet, almost innocent laugh at all of the arguments thrown his way, "maybe Omen is right… you must all certainly have gone deaf! I'm making it very clear what you have to do! Simply kill to leave, see? Isn't that such an attractive and simple alternative?"

"That's not simple at all! They're both horrible options!" Fudo whined, gripping onto his cape, "Ma and Pa are waiting for me out there… I can't be stuck in here for too long without seeing them! I-I…" The magician's eyes shut tightly in a flash, "I've gotta see them! You've gotta let me see them!"

"A game...where one must kill to simply leave this place?" Amaya's hands shook faintly, her blue eyes wide as she covered her mouth in horror, "how on Earth could you even consider doing such a cruel and worthless thing? The Natural Deities do not condone the spilling of innocent blood for any reason, let alone for the purpose of a 'game' such as this! It's- It's far too shameful!" She cried.

"More than shameful… it's… it's disgusting…" Hania spoke up, still keeping a neutral face, but noticeably more upset than most, "you're disgusting… to suggest that…"

"You may say such a thing is so shameful, but is it really?" Alexander giggled, holding his face innocently in his hands, "after all I'm only operating under the basis of the real world you so desperately want to return to, correct?"

"What… are you trying to say by that…?" Luna asked softly, her gaze pressed in concern, "the outside world your suggesting isn't like that at all…"

"Isn't it though?" Alexander questioned, "the only thing that matters in the world is self-preservation! Of making sure your life is the best it can be, even if it results in a worse one for everyone else! There are people out there who cheat and lie out there all the time to get their way, even if it hurts someone they know dear. There are people who leave behind others to live a better life. There are people who sacrifice themselves, again and again, only to gain nothing in return. The game is no different at all to those principals then! By keeping you here though, I'm granting you a beautiful opportunity to truly express yourselves here! To have true, unrivaled freedom!

"You call this freedom?" Anata scoffed, "locking us in here like caged animals and then toying with us like this? I can only imagine how sick your childhood was to make you think that's how the real world works."

"Jeez… ya guys are really making this out to be more complicated than it looks," Omen yawned, "killing someone is supppppeerrr easy! Especially if it's a total stranger! Believe me, I did it a lot in my hay day. All you gotta do is wack em' in the head till red stuff starts oozing out and voila! Ya just got claimed your first kill!"

"To even say something like that…" Koji said in utter horror, "to treat the topic of murder… let alone death so lightly… it's… it's irreparable! It's a mockery of death itself!"

"A mockery of death? How about our lives!?" Albion shouted, "how dare you think you can drag me into this place- rip me from my home- my family for crying out loud without a care in the world and try to force me to kill a bunch of people-!"

"Who said I was forcing you all?" Alexander questioned with a snicker, "remember, this is only an alternative! If you truly have no desire to kill, then you can basically ignore everything I just said and feel free to spend the rest of your life here! Cast all memory of the outside world from your mind. Forget your friends, family, and life ever existed. There's no need to concern yourself with those trivial matters anymore while in here!"

"N-No need to concern o-ourselves anymore...?" Aimi repeated, her eyes slightly wide, "t-that's simply not true! Everyone here... has homes to return to! And families to take care of! We could never just f-forget about them!"

"Sister Aimi is correct of course," Amaya pitched in, "everyone present has families that mean the world to them! Of course, we would never cast them aside from our minds, that would simply betray our memory of them!"

"Then what do you plan to do about it, hmmmm?" Alexander asked, a thoughtful gaze pointed at the two, "are you going to kill someone to leave then? Because if you don't, then you'll continue to live your lives here, and then eventually die…"

"That's basically the same as forcing us!" Albion shouted with disgust.

"Mister Albion is right! If you don't do one thing, then the other, much worse outcome happens!" Fudo protested as he gripped onto his cape, "Ma and Pa… I wanna see them… but… I… I would never just kill someone like that!"

"O-Of course!" Prince agreed, turning his attention fiercely back at Alexander, "we could never fall for such a… horrible game! None of us could ever do such a thing!"

"None… of you…?" Prince fell silent upon hearing Empress's voice. She finally had risen to meet everyone's gaze, revealing only a cold and pale look that froze the very air of the dining room.

"W-What did you just say…?" Prince questioned, his eyes growing wide as the realization slowly dawned on him.

Empress seemed to notice this and slowly pointed at the entire group, uttering his exact thoughts aloud, "are you… certain… that all of you… would never… do such a thing…?" She repeated, her words growing darker.

"O-Of course…" Prince tried to refute, mustering up the energy once again to fire back, "no one here… w-would ever… commit murder to... to..."

..

…

…

"But… that's not entirely true… is it? Someone here... might actually be buying into this stuff..." It was Anata who eventually spoke up about the possibility. The horrible possibility that Prince didn't even want to think about. But now he was being forced to, as he stared around at his peers, all of them holding the same… horrifying realization on their faces.

"Brothers and Sisters, we must try and stay calm in times such as these," Amaya attempted to reassure, "it's as Brother Prince had said before, we would never fall for such a game, as long as we pool in our efforts and cooperate-!"

"But… we can never be too sure… others would willingly do the same… can we?" Hania slowly confessed, staring worriedly at the rest of the group, "someone could... use us working... together... and betray us..."

"To take a life though… that's something you can never forget or just take back," Jun tried to reason with a calm voice, "and listen, I doubt most of us are capable of doing something as horrific as that."

"Anyone's capable to kill Jun… if you push them far enough that is…" Uta refuted with a cold gaze, "as long as there is that possibility then… we must not lower our guard…"

"So some of you are indeed thinking about it!" Amelie cursed, backing away from the rest of the group, "méprisable! None of you come near me! If you do, I swear I will make sure you regret it!"

"N-No… guys… there's… no way that-" Prince tried to say. But it was too late. Now the heads were turning, eyes studying carefully, with a suspicious, almost accusatory look that screamed… "I don't truly know anyone here…". Prince could hear the words emitting from their gaze… because it was rocking around in his own head too.

He didn't know anyone really… that was the truth… and they for sure didn't know a single thing about him either. Could they really trust each other to not attempt something as horrible as killing? Was that a risk he was willing to take? A risk of ignorance to that idea?

No one was able to say anything in argument to Empress's question, leaving only a sickening laugh from Alexander to fill up the silent void in the room, "it appears you're all finally getting the message!" Alexander laughed, forcing everyone's eyes up to find him now sitting up from his chair, "you know I was really worried at first that you all were going to be a little stubborn about this, but it seems now it'll be smooth sailing from here on out! Finally, the real fun can begin!"

"Empress really put the scare into em'!" Omen grinned, softly nudging Empress with his elbow, "butttt of course… you know I probably helped with that a litttllleee bit though by roughin' em' up a while ago!"

"No… you're both wrong…" It was Machi who spoke up, her voice catching the attention of the entire table as she faced off against the trio, "I still believe- no, wait sorry- I meant I KNOW nobody here would ever consider hurting someone!" She declared, "even with the incentive you laid out for us… it's still something you forced onto us for YOUR entertainment! So if you really think we're just gonna- you know- drop all of our morals and principles to offer you entertainment… well… sorry to say this but you picked the wrong group!"

"M-Machi…?" Prince's heart fluttered as the mediator stood strong against Alexander, her face expressing a composed outlook that defied everything that happened once before. All the fear and terror had left her body, and all that remained was determination. Or well… a slightly nervous determination… but still a determination that resonated within the group, especially within Prince's soul.

"Really now?" Alexander giggled, completely unfazed by the mediator's comment, "and is this… the collective opinion? Or just you think this Machi? Because you really don't know what other people are capable of you know~"

"N-No… Machi is right…" The pain in Prince's chest bubbled up as he spoke, "we won't… ever… do something like that…!" He began to say, his voice rising in both fear and defiance, "to play this so called 'game' you're talking about it's… it's worthless! A-All of it is! Forcing us in here… trying to give us reasons to hurt each other! It just won't work! As long as we stick together, we won't ever fall for your tricks!"

"Precisely… the entire premise of this game is trivial at best…" Stefano scoffed, waving away the notion with his gloved hand, "it only would succumb those who have truly taken a dark path in life, and to be frank… I don't sense anyone here with such a malicious past or intent in mind."

"Right you are~" Hagoromo agreed, "yeah… I'm sure nobody gonna hurt each other!" She said casually, as if totally not at all affected by the announcement.

"You're the only one who's super messed up sir!" Fudo called out to Alexander with a stomp of his feat, "me and Minnie hate you!"

"You are truly mistaken if you think we will play along with your game Sir Owner," Amaya nodded her head firmly in agreement, standing tall against Alexander, "it is not too late to try and correct your errors. The Natural Deities are omnibenevolent to all who seek retribution for their misdoings after all...that includes you. So please know… you have the chance to end this now, before...you regret dirtying your spirit further."

Alexander stopped laughing right then and there, his eyes focused directly on the group, as if they had struck a nerve of some kind. It was an intense stare, but the emotion was hard to pinpoint.

"Gah… sir… it doesn't look like they're really buying the whole announcement now…" Omen pointed out, somewhat sweating as he did so. Empress was silent, but stared a the group, seemingly interested in their defiance.

'That's right Alexander… we w-won't follow anything you have in store for us..' Prince adamantly declared to himself as he stood with the group, 'there's no way we would ever kill to leave this place-'

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!" The entire room was struck with silence as Alexander madly laughed, his eyes glowing a deep shade of red as he looked down on the rest of the group, "MACHI AMEMORI! WHAT A STUNNING DISPLAY OF LEADERSHIP~!"

"H-Huh?" Machi gasped, appearing way too confused as to what was happening.

"*I* picked the wrong group?" Alexander repeated with an amused giggle, "me, making a mistake? Well, I'd love to see you prove me wrong! Let me see! Let me see! What can you do, if I ever decided to spice things up? Hm? What would you do, if you don't follow the rules?! WHAT WOULD YOU DO?"

All eyes turned to Machi, who nervously stood in the center of the room, her eyes wide at Alexander's insanity, "ah… well-"

"We may obey your rules, but no one here is going to draw a single drop of blood!" Amaya reiterated firmly, speaking up for Machi, "so I do hope you are willing to wait a very long time for your 'entertainment'."

"Ahahaha…" Alexander's bent down and stared directly into Amaya's eyes, though she did not waver as he spoke, "this is my favorite part of all this! Seeing the strong and optimistic, slowly crumble into nothing once things really heat up! Aha~! I hope everyone here is as strong as you both..." He laughed, staring at the two girls, "please, entertain me! All of you! Show me what you've learned! I can't wait! I CAN'T WAIIIT! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Prince took a step back, disturbed at the sudden insanity he was witnessing. The slightly joking and calm man from before had vanished in a blink of an eye, and was replaced with a haunting figure, fully displaying itself into the room with a twisted… disgusting look. It took all of Prince's strength to not throw up at the sight of it.

Even Omen and Empress seemed a little disturbed by it, although the samurai more so as he nervously crossed his arms. Empress only watched, a passive observer to the whole thing as Alexander calmed down.

"Oh my! Forgive me for my sudden ramblings!" Alexander suddenly jumped up, and twirled onto the table, "I've been talking for so long that it's almost night! This means, it's time for you all to be sound asleep soon!"

"W-What? We're g-going to be sleeping here already?!" Kanna nervously asked.

"Of course of course!" Alexander beamed, "I apologize for not keeping up with the time. Honestly, it's such just a breath of relief for me having someone other than Omen and Empress to talk to."

"W-Wha? But I always thought we made good company for ya sir?" Omen asked, looking a little disheartened.

"Empress always gives me good food for thought… so she indeed is good company…" Alexander beamed, "you on the other hand… well you're always good for a quick laugh I suppose."

"Hey wait a second! You didn't answer everything yet!" Tadatake shouted as he cracked his fists, "just why the hell are we being forced to do this anyway?!"

"A-And wait, what about some of our memories?" Prince tried to speak up about his own memories, but Alexander shushed the room and smiled.

"It's time to sleeeeeeep~" Alexander beamed, "I'm sure you all know where your rooms are, so please don't delay! See you all in the morning! And thank you… for attending… aha~!" And just like that, Alexander vanished into the darkness.

"W-What in the w-world was all that?" Aimi sobbed, her eyes misty as she clutched onto Fudo's cape.

"What a damn weirdo," Tadatake grumbled, "who does he think he is keeping me locked up in here and forcing me to hurt someone! He's insane!"

"The boss gets like that sometimes," Omen muttered, scratching his head, "sometimes he rambles on about pointless little topics for way too long, I mean seriously, what the heck's up with that?!"

"Why are you talking as if you have some affinity for us?" Anata questioned, her glare harshly pointed at Omen, "you're working with that madman, you're equally responsible for this."

"GAHAHAHAHA! Of course, I am!" Omen grinned, "I can't wait to see what kinda bloody scene ya guys make after all this! It really gets my blood pumpin' just thinkin' about it! Try not to disappoint me!"

"What about the rules though, we didn't get to-?" Stefano started to ask. But suddenly, all their watches beeped with a new notification. Quickly checking it, Prince found every single app was now open, including the 'rules' one.

"Please review… them... on your own… time…" Empress expressed tiredly, keeping her promise in the end, "let's… go Omen…"

"O-Oh! Okay Emi!" Omen beamed as he waved to the rest of the group, "ya guys know yer ways back to yer beds right!? Because one of the rules says that if you're in the dining room at nighttime, I get to killl yaaaa~! So ya better get movin' soon!"

Prince blinked in confusion, but then found that Omen and Empress were nowhere to be found. It was as if they just… vanished, leaving behind a very confused group of students.

"This has to be a joke…" Kanon muttered, shaking her head in disapproval, "all of it is just too stupid for me to process."

"It's going to be alright…" Luna attempted to reassure, "having your life come to an end is scary and frightening, but I assure you, it shouldn't be something to fear. For when you die, The Eternal One will pull your soul from your mortal body and guide you to the neverending cosmos, where infinite adventure and discovery await."

"I don't want to hear about your drugged-out pipe dreams," Xiuying cursed, "if anyone even thinks of trying to go along with this game, I'll make sure they'll be sorry if they come near me."

"No, we mustn't fall into temptation!" Amaya nodded in assurance, standing before the students with a bright look, "everyone, please, I understand this situation is not ideal, but as long as keep our faith in each other, we can overcome anything!"

"You say that, but we don't know anyone here for certain, and that's a fact," Uta pointed out, "it's only a matter of time before someone takes the plunge."

"N-No. I don't… this can't- be happening-" Koji muttered, clutching his head, "why-? And he was laughing?"

"How could- t-this happen to us-?" Aimi cried, being comforted by a weary Fudo, "I… w-wanna see my family…"

"It'll be fine. It's gotta be okay… right?" The magician asked.

But no one answered. Prince still stood silent, completely shaken by the announcement. It seemed to have affected everyone in one way or another, and now they all stared around with similar looks of unease on their faces.

A killing game, a fight to the death, for the right to leave. It was obvious these people weren't messing around, Alexander wanted someone to die.

Would he get it though was the question? Prince prayed that it wouldn't. He prayed that everyone would completely shoot down Alexander's claims and leave him with no satisfaction. He prayed that they all came together and stood tall, defying the very idea of the game just like Amaya and Machi had said. He prayed… hoped that would happen.

But here he stood in reality, unsure of exactly everyone's thoughts, just as they were unsure of his own despite his previous statements. The seed of doubt planted by Empress and watered by Alexander had now completely taken a stranglehold of them.

And it was never going to let any of them go.

---

Surviving Guests

(20/20)

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Prince - Grand ?

Anata Noshi - Grand Storyteller

Fudo Tsukuyomi - Grand Magician

Machi Amemori - Grand Mediator

Lukas Griffon Powell - Grand Knight

Amélie Alarie - Grand Perfumer

Junichiro Ichida - Grand Escort

Kanon Kanda - Grand Doctor

Tadatake Suza - Grand Hockey Player

Aimi Sakai - Grand Patissier

Fujisaki Kanna - Grand Assistant

Xiuying Akatsuki - Grand Fabric Pattern Maker

Koji Yabusaki - Grand Mortician

Hania Shah - Grand Fantasy Video Game Developer

Albion Kanzaki - Grand Blacksmith

Amaya 'Maya' Shirai - Grand Marionette Maker

Stefano 'Alex' Alexeev - Grand Exorcist

Hagoromo 'Momo' Mae - Grand Demonologist

Kamiya Uta - Grand Swordsman

Luna Phillips - Grand Cult Leader

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Chart Key

Alive - Normal Text

Killer - (K)

Victim - (V)

# - Chapter of Death

Ex. Candle - Grand Procrastinator (V1) = Victim Chapter 1

---

{Author's Note}

So with that begins the start of the killing game! Thanks for everyone being so patient with me, it was a long process to get through, but now thankfully I have a set in stone schedule I intend to keep where I at least get out one chapter per month. So far I think I'm doing okay keeping it so far, so here's hoping I don't trip off the face of the internet again.

Anyway, I know these chapters are super long, and I was hoping to fix that but funnily enough, these two chapters I had were so long I had to cut them into two, which I think is for the better, but also it is annoying for me personally that they keep getting this long. I've always tended to overwrite so it's just a thing I'll have to try and cut down on little by little hopefully, other than that, I'm pretty happy with how these last few chapters came out. If you have any thoughts on the cast or mascot, feel free to type them in the reviews or just join my discord if you wish!

Take Care

CandleFire45