[ENTER THE PALACE]

[warpweft]

[You find yourself with a sensation like floating in water.]

[Above, the sky is dark. You can occasionally see things shifting, like gusts of wind, or perhaps waves of water. Is it…even a sky above you? Or is it some kind of giant ocean? Whatever it is, you can’t make it out very well. All around you, you appear to be floating in what appears to be water. It looks like a great, wide ocean of…space in every direction around you, with stars and lights twinkling in the distance. It looks like water and feels like water, but it doesn’t make you wet. You can reach your hand into it and pull some out, the purple and violet water and the tiny points of light inside it will even rest in your hands if you cup them to carry it, but once you’re not trying to hold it anymore, it’ll flow off of you, not a single drop remaining behind. You feel something similar if you go underneath the surface. The “water” doesn’t touch your eyes, mouth or nose when give the chance, it merely drifts around you, allowing you to breathe and see unabated. And you can see for a great distance, the twinkling stars illuminating the ocean of space all around you. Though perhaps less dark and empty, it feels every bit as vast as the sky above. You feel like you could swim forever and never reach the edge.]

[It’s quiet, here, with little noise around you but the starry ocean’s waves crashing back into its surface. It’s peaceful. In another situation, it might even be comfortable.]

Comments

REVERIE

[voidhearts]

[As you exit the stairs, you find yourself coming out of a dilapidated mausoleum and right into a large, spacious. . . cemetary!! The cemetery has seen far better days; the graves are all overgrown with weeds and grass and the writing on the headstones is so old….

Wait a minute.

This seems familiar.]

[Yes, the more you look around, the more you recognize. The village, the clock tower, the motel, it’s all here…this is the prison you know and have no choice but to tolerate. It seems unlikely that taking a staircase made you just exit the palace entirely, so this is probably just an abstraction of the prison within Nessa’s consciousness? An abstraction within someone’s subconscious of an abstract realm in between dreams and reality, try not to think too hard about that or you might open up a tear in existence.]

[You’re not alone in the graveyard. There’s a figure sitting on a tombstone nearby….a figure in a dark cloak obscuring their face….holding a long stick of some kind….they seem to be looking at you. Well. That’s probably nothing.]

[You can also explore the clocktower, the library or the motel.]

[cosplayed_out]

Hello?

[she tries calling out to the figure! But if there's no reply...]

I suppose I should start with the Clock Tower.

[to the clock tower!]

[voidhearts]

[The figure glances at you and stands up from their seat. They regard you for a second before pulling down their cloak to reveal their face, covered in what appears to be some kind of black armor, with two horns behind their head and an almost avian beak.]

Greetings.

I am Zarya, the Strix.

[cosplayed_out]

...Hi there!

I'm Tsumugi, the Cosplayer.

[voidhearts]

I know.

You're one of Nessa's friends. You're visiting her heart, as she once visited yours.

[cosplayed_out]

She visited my heart?!

[oh no...]

[voidhearts]

Hm.

I thought she told you.

[cosplayed_out]

...Maybe it was Shadow Me?

Anyway, then it's my job to repay her and fix her heart, too!

[voidhearts]

[She nods.]

I will do what I can to help.

[You're being offered a quest. Do you accept?
>Yes
>No]

[cosplayed_out]

[No shame in two quests!]

So, you're on her side?!

[voidhearts]

I am.

I am her side, as well as Echidna's. I believe I owe that to them. And I believe I know a way I can help all of you.

[Quest Obtained: The Hunter
The story of one who explored a palace and a hunter who taught them how to fight as a witch.]

Fighting inside this palace is different from fighting in your own world, or even from fighting inside the Edge of Reverie. There's no limit to how powerful you can become here, but there's still an incredible gap between you and that Nightmare, especially with the injury you suffered on your first encounter with her. Your only hope is to fight in the way that this palace will recognize.

You must fight as a witch. I will teach you how. Gaining strength from there will be up to you.

[Step 1: Complete Zarya’s lessons.
Complete Zarya’s first five lessons to learn about how to fight as a witch.
Shadow Nessa: Oh, Zarya’s going to beat you up for a while, huh? This I gotta see — I mean, Zarya’s a great teacher, I’m sure she’ll go easy on you.]

[Basic Lessons:
- Lesson 01: Basic Spells
- Lesson 02: Powerful Spells & Downtime
- Lesson 03: Critical Damage
- Lesson 04: Shards & Facets
- Lesson 05: Defense]

[Advanced Lessons:
- Lesson 06: Invoke (locked: Unlock 1 Invoke-tier Spell)
- Lesson 07: Spark Elements (locked: Purchase "Empower your Spark")
- Lesson 08: Resonance (locked: complete a certain quest)
- Lesson 09: Final Exam (locked: complete all previous lessons)]

[cosplayed_out]

[Oh boy, it's a tutorial mission.]

I noticed that! Learning magic... real magic... it sounds scary.

But, if it's for Nessa's sake, I'll do it!

[voidhearts]

Shall we start with the first lesson, then?

[velluminous]

[ oh, come on.

. . .

meets the figure's gaze. ]

[voidhearts]

[The figure glances at you and stands up from their seat. They regard you for a second before pulling down their cloak to reveal their face, covered in what appears to be some kind of black armor, with two horns behind their head and an almost avian beak.]

We meet face-to-face for the first time, witch.

Greetings.

I am Zarya, the Strix.

[velluminous]

You are... woman who messaged me. When Nessa fell unconscious.

[ the possession. and what an imposing figure she cuts. ]

[voidhearts]

I am. And you are her teacher.

You're here to find her Treasure, are you not? I will do what I can to help.

[You're being offered a quest. Do you accept?
>Yes
>No]

[velluminous]

[ "teacher". the word feels ... painful? ]

If it my fault she is like this, there is no other choice.

[ > yes ]

[voidhearts]

Hm.

[Insofar as you can read expressions on her face at all, it kinda looks like Zarya wants to say something about Sprezzatura assigning blame to herself, but....she doesn't.]

[Quest Obtained: The Hunter
The story of one who explored a palace and a hunter who taught them how to fight as a witch.]

Fighting inside this palace is different from fighting in your own world, or even from fighting inside the Edge of Reverie. There's no limit to how powerful you can become here, but there's still an incredible gap between you and that Nightmare, especially with the injury you suffered on your first encounter with her. Your only hope is to fight in the way that this palace will recognize.

You must fight as a witch.

[Beat.]

A different kind of witch.

[You get the slight feeling she has that speech queued up for everybody and just didn't think to change the end.]

[Step 1: Complete Zarya’s lessons.
Complete Zarya’s first five lessons to learn about how to fight as a witch.
Shadow Nessa: Oh, Zarya’s going to beat you up for a while, huh? This I gotta see — I mean, Zarya’s a great teacher, I’m sure she’ll go easy on you.]

[Basic Lessons:
- Lesson 01: Basic Spells
- Lesson 02: Powerful Spells & Downtime
- Lesson 03: Critical Damage
- Lesson 04: Shards & Facets
- Lesson 05: Defense]

[Advanced Lessons:
- Lesson 06: Invoke (locked: Unlock 1 Invoke-tier Spell)
- Lesson 07: Spark Elements (locked: Purchase "Empower your Spark")
- Lesson 08: Resonance (locked: complete a certain quest)
- Lesson 09: Final Exam (locked: complete all previous lessons)]

/2

[velluminous]

[ how did i walk straight into ANOTHER fight ]

[velluminous]

[ starts backing up around behind another gravestone ]

You want me to fight you.

[voidhearts]

Hm.

[Zarya holds up a small point of light in her hand. She tosses it at the ground. It bursts into a puff of smoke to reveal....


OH NO, IT'S ESMAU no wait. She's rooted to the ground. She's bobbing back and forth. It's a dummy. It's a dummy of Esmau holding a foam glaive. And, she has little devil horns drawn on her, Xs on her eyes and her tongue is sticking out, who made this? Did Zarya make this?]

I was planning to have you fight this.

[velluminous]

[ devil horns??? are you making fun of me? ]

What.

[voidhearts]

You'll practice on this to prepare to fight the real Esmau.

That is to say, the Nightmare-borne fabrication of Esmau residing in this palace.

[velluminous]

I am not spellcaster for fighting! She killed me—like that! So fast.

[ but her hand does stray towards her spell tome ]