Took a bit of time off writing due to exams… and general procrastination - that too played a part… Welp, onwards to the chapter.

P.S. Turning Foth into a suicide bomber is very funny.


Esilio-I: The Brave New World

Unknown Territory-1


Birdsong echoed throughout the forest, as the noon sun's rays fell down from between emerald leaves, creating dancing shadows upon the grassy floor. Occasionally, the distant call of some animal or other could be made out, as it was carried on the wind from somewhere deep amidst the trees. Nature's beauty was out in full force that day it seemed. Perhaps it was because their surroundings where so disconnected from the Backstreets' grimy and gloomy atmosphere or the Nests' hustle and bustle that they felt so out of place. And indeed they were very out of place – the team's resident geniuses' words had made that quite clear.

"Tick Tick Tock…" / 'Let me get this straight…' Reluctantly, Dante was the first to break the silence that had fallowed the bombshell that had just been dropped upon them. And what a silence it had been – normally if the Sinners had been told such a ridiculous thing they would have resorted to their own specific ways to try and disprove it – be they arguing, mostly amongst each other that is, or the typical casual violence that had become so ingrained in their everyday lives, and yet – now there was none of that, only dumbfound shock. It was unprecedented. If the Manager wanted to be completely honest, they were kinda hoping for the usual behavior to ensue – perhaps if it had they could have lied to themselves, wrapped themselves up in the normalcy in order to not face the facts. Alas…

"As Faust stated moments ago, Yi Sang and I have reached the conclusion that as a result of the mishap during WARP transit,-" Although her voice was that same monotonous tone as it always was, Dante couldn't help but notice the slightest, in fact miniscule, tremble in it as Faust spoke. Combined with her disheveled looks, it painted a rather bleak picture. "- we have become stranded in some alternate dimension, possibly a distant mirror world." Every word that left her mouth was accompanied by a slight nod from Yi Sang, who had opted to lean back upon the Mephistopheles' exterior and let Faust do all the talking. No, perhaps it was more of a necessity that Faust be the one to speak, as judging by the dark circles beneath the man's eyes it was a miracle he was even still awake. In fact, it was a miracle that either of the two of them could so much as keep themselves from falling asleep upright, let alone brief the team on their circumstances and it just so happened that Faust was the one in a better condition.

'They haven't slept in days...' It was clear that both of the geniuses were at the end of their rope and Dante certainly felt a bit bad making them repeat themselves but the revelation was just too shocking. The fact that all the others were still as quiet as church mice was concerning. Honestly, the Manager wanted nothing more but to join them in disbelief but their duty prevented them. How could Dante ever speak about showing the way if they allowed themself to shut down in the face of adversity? Besides, the clockhead had full confidence in the team's think tank ability to come up with a solution.

"Tick Tick. Tock Tock? Tick?" / 'Okay, so we are stuck in what is possibly a mirror world. So what do we do? You have some way to solve this like always, right?'

The Manager's inquiry wasn't met with a means to resolve their current predicament but rather with an uncomfortable silence, that and the light snore of Yi Sang who had finally lost his fierce battle with sleep. All of a sudden, Dante's full confidence died a miserable death; the clockhead could practically hear its pathetic whimper as it disappeared back to whence it came from. With an awkward look, Faust turned her gaze away from the gathered Sinners and – "Dante you have been unable to find the Star for the last couple of days, correct?" A slight nod from the Manager. "Then as of this moment we are open to any and all suggestions from anybody." Oh, it would appear that they were royally screwed then. And it was in that moment that Dante shut down and the Sinners got over their shock. In other words – pandemonium ensued.

The once peaceful atmosphere and the soothing birdsong gave way to raised voices and panicked shouts and the only things that seemed to carry on the wind were threats and insults. Perhaps, had the Manager not found themself in the furthest depths of their mind, they could have done something to get the situation under control.

Alas, Dante was off stargazing


They were here again – standing in the exact same spot they had when they had beheld the Star for the first time on that distant day. Whenever Dante and the Sinners would find themselves lost, they would simply look for that guiding light. 'It's all about fallowing the Star after all.' Faust had once told them. However...

Where once this strange realm was filled with the warmth of the celestial object, now there was only cold and light seemed to have been thrown into the concept incinerator at some point. The Star that had previously lorded over this plane was gone. How fitting that in their lowest moment the Manager was brought to witness this sight, as if only to further solidify how hopelessly lost they had become.

When before they could simply look for the Star's guidance, now they had to contend with its absence. Dante couldn't help but wonder what sort of an asshole they had been before they lost their memories for them to always end up in the worst possible situations. 'Still isn't this a bit much?! I mean what am I even supposed to do?!' Anger blossomed within the red-clad being's breast. They had been through so much and now it would all be taken away because of a single mistake?!

Dante raged in the dark, ticks that were supposed to be vile profanities and curses disappeared into the black emptiness but were cruelly ignored by the cosmic void. How long their anger lasted the Manager did not know but by the time the flame lit within finally died off, it felt like an eternity had passed. As brightly as the rage had burned, it was also in vain, as it hadn't made the Star magically reappear to banish the darkness. All it had done was leave Dante exhausted and defeated.

'Then… it is truly over…' In the ashes of their rage, shadowy despair was born. It was a fitting companion to the cold, uncaring void. 'I'm sorry for letting you down, everyone… Guess I couldn't be a good manager in the end.' A chill wind blew through the dark realm, its freezing touch bitterly clinging to Dante's form. It was the final nail in the coffin. 'No point in sitting here, freezing, I suppose. I ought to go and see if the Sinners are taking things better than me.'

'You certainly haven't' their traitorous mind provided as the Manager was getting ready to return to the forest. It gave them pause for the tiniest of moments. 'After all that talk about wanting them to depend on you – here you are once again being forced to rely on them.' They were weren't they? It seems that they really weren't cut out for the job. Hell, the fact that Dante had made it this far in the first place was a miracle wasn't it. Their journey had been nothing but a series of blunders and mistakes, really it had all come down to luck in the end for the most part. 'Indeed, it was bound to run out at some point.'

A crestfallen Dante prepared to make their exit from the now starless realm when something briefly flashed in their mind. They saw it for but a moment but it had appeared clear as water – them sitting with the Sinners in a Christmas decorated Mephistopheles. Smiling faces, a festive mood. More images materialized in front of Dante – they and Don Quixote standing in front of a large pile of chips, the cook off between the Sinners and many others. All fond memories from their journey.

'Why am I seeing this now of all times?' Under normal circumstances, it would have been a perfect morale booster but now, lost and abandoned by their Star as the Manager was, it only served to add insult to injury. Memories of those distant happy days would not help them. Their situation was hopeless.

"Are you really going to give up so easily?"

'What else can I do?'

"Are telling me you haven't overcome worse?"

Another series of memories flashed in the Manager's head – these ones far removed from the previous happy ones. In one, Dante could be seen dragging their half-melted body up a hill of corpses and screaming at Sinclair. In another, Ishmael's Harpoon was seen firmly lodged in the Manager's shoulder. A third showed the first time Dante had used Pigritia to catch up to the Erlking. In all of them, the Manager had faced the odds and somehow made it through.

'But still, without the Star I…'

"Is this truly what your heart desires? If so, then-"

Whatever it was that was about to be said, it was interrupted by the slightest flicker in the dark. It was tiny, miniscule, almost unseen amidst the endless black that surrounded Dante and yet it had immediately caught their attention. As if their subconscious mind had pointed them towards it. The moment the Manager's non-existent eyes took in the tiny pinprick, familiar warmth, though subdued, filled their form, banishing the shadow from within.

A gloved hand reaches out towards it, as if to grab it and hold it closer. The hands of the clock begin ticking down. A distant siren call echoes from the distance.

And suddenly Dante was back in the forest, facing away from the Mephistopheles, arm still outstretched towards where their Star had stood, ephemeral in its beauty. Indeed, it was gone and lost once again, however it was hope that permeated within the Manager – for even if its image was gone, the far sound of it beckoning them towards it had remained. It carried itself clearly from some faraway place, silencing all other sounds around Dante.

'If you can't see me then my call shall guide you instead- huh…Well, guess I know we should head in that general direction at least.' It was not a perfect solution by any means but fallowing the Star's lead had gotten them so far, besides it was their only lead as to how to hopefully get home as things stood. 'Well, at least we have some sort of an idea what to do… Time to share the good news with-'

Focusing their attention away from the distant calling (rather annoyingly it became a sort of a constant buzz in the back of Dante's mind), the Manager was met with all the noises it had been suppressing up till now. Now, when they had left things had been pretty quiet so they had expected for things to be the same, instead the sound of several fights and curses could be heard from behind them. Turning around, Dante was faced with a most distressing sight.

'- the Sinners…'

An angry and frantic looking Heathcliff desperately trying to shake awake an out-cold Yi Sang, while Ishmael tried to pry him off of the genius and get Faust's attention at the same. Speaking of the white-haired woman, it would appear that she had succumbed to sleep while standing upright, much like Yi Sang had. A chaotic picture for sure, however the Manager's attention was glued to another ongoing-in-the-meantime disaster.

Dante couldn't help but stare in shock as a snarling Outis was struggling to get out of Rodion's grip, while panicked Sinclair was busy tending to bruised Don Quixote. The sight of a smiling Ryoshu, cigarette smoke wafting in the air as her eyes practically sparkled from joy, nearby didn't surprise the Manager one bit. Speaking of cigarette smoke, a puff cloud hit Dante's clock from the side, drawing them away from, well, whatever that was. There were only two smokers among the Sinners and with Ryoshu accounted for, finding Gregor standing next to them, didn't come as a surprise.

The former G. Corp employee was, in much the same way Dante was, watching the other's action. Although unlike the Manager, Gregor seemed to be paying them only the tiniest bit of attention. The vast majority of it seemed to be fixated on a rather empty looking box of smokes. Funnily, Dante remembered Gregor just having opened it that morning. The small pile of butts, their white color standing out amidst the grass, revealed the fate of said box's contents… and spoke ill of said Sinner's lungs.

"Ah- Manager Bud, you with us finally?" It seemed that the Manager's sudden motion had not escaped the bug guy's notice. "Been trying to get your - *Puff* - attention for a while now. *Puff* - your daydream any good? Certainly must have been better than this, eh…." At that he gestured to the others.

"Tick Tick!?" / 'What the hell happened!?'

"Ah, - *Puff* - well you see, after -* Puff*- what Frau Faust said and you went unresponsive - *Puff*- Outis just jumped Don Quixote… Eh, something about all this being her fault or other, I wasn't really paying that much attention to 'em." He paused, his hand reaching to pull the still smoking cigarette butt out of his mouth, before tossing it with the others. "As to Heathcliff, he got really angry – screaming something about, eh, Betty? Netty? Eh, whatever – he then grabbed the brainy bud and started shaking him, Ishmael fallowed soon after trying to deescalate things between 'em." As he talked, Gregor instinctively shook his cigarette box, trying to get another one out, alas it was empty, a fact that dawned on the Sinner's face only after a couple more shakes didn't yield any more cigarettes. "Ah, guess I shoulda' packed more…" he muttered, dejectedly, before letting the box fall out of his hand.

"Tick Tick Tock Tick. Tick Tock Tick…?"/ 'So that explains that, but what are you doing just standing around then? Shouldn't you be helping someone ate least…?'

"Eh, well, Meursault told me to look after you, Manager Bud… You were unresponsive for a while after all-"

"Tick To-"/ 'I see, thank-' It was at this moment that Dante realized something. A quick mental headcount of the present Sinners, revealed only 10 of them present. "Tick Tick Tock Tick?" / 'Uh, Gregor, where are Hong Lu and Meursault?'

"They shou-"

"Aha~ We are right here, Dante~" Hong Lu's voice cut Gregor off.

Turning in its direction, both Manager and Sinner found themselves gaping at what they saw. Emerging from some nearby shrubbery, the two missing team members casually made their entrance. And what an entrance it was. Not because of anything the two did, in fact they appeared rather unceremoniously, but rather because of the way they looked.

"!"

"There's no need for concern. Our appearance is not indicative of any great injury or damage to our physical condition." Meursault provided at the Manager's shock. 'That's all well and good but…'

"Uuh, Meursault, bud, I think what Dante is trying to get at is-"

"TICK TOCK TICK!?"/ 'WHY THE HELL DO YOU LOOK LIKE YOU LOST A FIGHT WITH A MEAT GRINDER!?'

Dante's scream had the unintentional effect of drawing all the, currently awake that is, Sinners' attention to them. What they saw was the Manager pointing a shaky finger at something. Turning to look at what that something was, revealed two figures covered in blood and grime.

"I can assure you that we did not in fact engage in combat with a meat grinder." Meursault replied in that same matter-of-fact tone of his, while seemingly ignorant of the fact that he looked like someone had dumped a bucket of red paint over him and Hong Lu, who, at that moment, was busy trying to remove a stray branch that had become stuck in his hair at some point. "There is a perfectly good explanation for this."


"Tick Tick Tock…" / 'Let me get this straight…' Dante found themself saying those very words for a second time that day. "Tick Tick Tick Tock. Tick Tock Tick Tick Tick Tock Tock. Tick Tick Tock." / 'You spotted one of those humanoid monsters entering the vicinity while the others were distracted. The two of you attempted to engage, leaving Gregor behind to watch your backs, but it ran away and you gave chase. You managed to catch up to it but several more showed up.' As the words left their non-existent mouth, the Manager couldn't help themselves but slouch in their seat.

The conversation had been moved to the inside of the Mephistopheles at the behest of Dante, seeing as how it was confirmed that hostiles were in the area. Well, that and the fact that the Manager didn't want to leave Yi Sang and Faust to rest on the ground. The two out-cold Sinners had been rather unceremoniously carried into the bus, dropped onto some of the seats in the back and all but forgotten about. 'Not unlike a sack of potatoes…' Dante couldn't help but make that unfortunate comparison but it was apt, given how Meursault and his report had drawn the team's attention away from them. 'Someone will fill them in later… probably…hopefully…'

Back to the conversation at hand-

"Oui. The Manager has provided a sufficient summery of my recounting of events." A slight nod from Meursault seemed to signal the end of him speaking, as he made to leave his position in the middle of the bus' walkway and find himself an open seat. All in all, the tall man had provided an apt description of events, in his usual precise and almost detached way. Except for one teeny tiny problem. Just as Dante was about to point out said problem, somebody beat them to it.

"…But why art thou and young Hong Lu covered in so much viscera? Even in the fiercest of our battles, hath I not seen thou in such a condition before. Prithee, hath I missed something in thy recounting?" Confusion evident in her eyes, Don Quixote asked what every Sinner must have been wondering. Meursault, upon hearing the question, seemed to freeze mid-step, before doing a 180 and returning to his previous speaking place.

"…Excusez-moi. In my mind my explanation was clear, however I appear to have made a miscalculation. I will start again from the beginning, while striving to provide more details. Approximately 217 seconds after complete degradation of team unity-"

"OH, FOR FUCK'S SAKE, JUST SKIP TO THE PART WHERE YOU TOSSERS GOT ALL BLOODY!" Heathcliff's angry shout came from the back, followed by what appeared to be a bunch of other vulgarities muttered under his breath.

"Glossing over details might prevent everyone from getting a clear picture of events, as such I-"

"Tick Tock Tick. Tick Tock."/ 'I agree with Heathcliff. Meursault, get to the point.'

"Je comprends. Then – after dealing with the hostile lifeforms, designated as "goblins", Hong Lu and I-"

"Aha~ It was certainly an interesting experience. I had heard that people had to clean game before its meat could be prepared but I never thought I'd ever partake in something similar~" Ignoring Hong Lu's comment, Meursault continued with his story. "-collected their so-called "magic stones", as to my understanding they could be exchanged for the local currency. Unfortunately, as neither I nor Hong Lu is well versed in monster physiology, the first five attempts resulted in the loss of the magic stone and quite a mess."

"Tick Tock Tick! ...Tick Tock Tick?" / 'You could have started with that and saved us a bit of time! … I take it you heard about the "magic stones" from our newest member then?'

At those words, the Sinners seemed to get a bit on edge. It appeared that the… recruitment?... kidnapping?… hiring, let's go with that, of Sinner No. 14 was still a sore topic amongst the team. Dante could still picture the sheer confusion when they had turned the clock to bring back the Sinners and the kid, who they had initially written off as another unfortunate side casualty of the LCB's misadventures, had somehow returned as well. Just how Bell Cranel had become a Sinner was still a mystery. The Manager would be setting the brainy duo on that as soon as their little nap was done.

"Affirmative. Monsieur Cranel was quite insistent in sharing various stories and tidbits of information during our night shift. I have memorized all that was said last night and as such, if the Manager wishes, can provide a written copy of everything that was spoken between us."

"Tick Tock Tick. Tick Tock. Tick Tick Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick." / 'I will take you up on that offer. But now to other matters. I'm sorry but Ishmael can you wake up Yi Sang and Faust, I want everyone to hear what I am about to say.'

"On it Dante." With that brief reply, the redhead slipped out of her seat and approached the sleeping duo. Judging by the state that they were in, the Manager could tell it would take a bit of time to get them up and running, so they had a brief break before their big speech. 'Well, I dunno if this is taking the edge off of me or just adding to it. Might as well use this opportunity to write some Notes.'

However, before Dante could even reach for their PDA, a shaky hand being raised drew their attention towards a particular Sinner. "Tick Tock?" / 'Oh, what is it Sinclair?'

"Ah-uh, umm, I was just wondering where Mister Cranel is?" Sinclair stumbled over his question a bit, he clearly was not expecting for his question to be recognized almost immediately.

"Tick Tock Tick Tock." / 'He's currently resting in my office.'

"Ah, then, shouldn't we have someone fetch him as well? Should he be here to hear what you have to say as well?" It was a logical question, Dante had said that "everyone" should be present for their words after all. However-

"Given the dosage and potency of the sleeping drug, Monsieur Cranel should be out for at least two hours more. As such, any and all attempts to wake him up would result in failure." Meursault answered in Dante's stead.

"Ah, I se- WAIT WHAT?" The shocked look on Sinclair's face was priceless. And his wasn't the only one, as every Sinner with the exception of Meursault and the currently waking up duo bore similar expressions. Dante couldn't help but feel a bit bad about not telling them about their plan but they supposed that "better late than never" was good enough.

"Tick Tock Tick…. Tick Tock." / 'Bell Cranel, Sinner No.14, is not here…because I don't want him to be present."


DUN-DUN-DUNNNNNNNNN!

So, yeah – this chapter was supposed to be out ages ago but…*Looks at the calendar with January marked as exams* Well, that and the fact that PM decided to just spam events this past month.

Speaking of which – I (read: WHALE) now have everything in Limbus, except for the Malkuth and Molar announcers… So yeah, I am single-handedly funding the PM Animeverse at this point (My financials are making me distort). Anyways, humblebrag aside, hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you next time.

Next Chapter- 15th of February.(Or when I get it done if it's not up by then.)