[Endgame: rise or DROWN]

[warpweft]

[How long have you been exploring Nessa's palace now? You've met her family, viewed her memories, learned how to fight as a witch and tried to find the source of her power and the Treasure of her palace: the Voidheart. And along the way, you've tired your best, with mixed success, to avoid the incarnation of her eldest cousin and the representation of her trauma and fear, the Nightmare of Esmau.]

[Wherever you are in the Palace right now, you feel the ground briefly shake under your feet. Little shakes here and there haven't been out of the ordinary - Esmau is trying to blow the place down to the studs, after all. But that felt different. That felt....worse.]

[Your phone beeps as you receive a message.]

Comments

Re: PLAYER ACTION

[cosplayed_out]

[and... to Tsumugi's tower?]

[messianic]

[ hell yeah, to tsumugi's tower!! ]

[survivaltricks]

[following along!]

???

[voidhearts]

[The group heads to Tsumugi's tower. Once they get there, something else will slowly fade into being on the tower's black surface...another face.

Tsumugi sees...



Minato sees...



Sprezzatura sees...



Akira sees...



A few seconds after they see the somber or fearful or desperate face in that tower....the ground around them shakes. Their arms are reaching out towards it beyond their control. They're being pulled in, one-by-one, into the tower's surface. There's barely a second to say anything to each other or try to get away before they're all gone.]

Re: ???

[voidhearts]

[You touch the ground on your hand and feet. A dense haze surrounds you, limiting your visibility. You're still...somewhere in the forest, you think, but, definitely somewhere different.

Your allies are nowhere to be found. You can't see Esmau anymore either, which, hey at least she's not attacking you anymore, so, bonus? You can only see one other person through the haze.

They look like they're...muttering to themselves?]

@MINATO

[voidhearts]

[You see Nell standing a short distance away from you. She's breathing in and out, anxiously, staring at her own hands. She has a black hole in her chest, just above her collar.]

I can't...I can't...I'm not even...if I try, she'll make me...I can't...

[messianic]

[ ... ?!?!

He's immediately rushing over, brow furrowed. ]

Nell-san? Nell-san, are you okay?

[voidhearts]

[Nell brings her hands up and shoves Minato away, stumbling back herself.]

G-get away! Get away! I'll hurt you!

@SPREZZATURA

[voidhearts]

[You see Dimitri a short distance away from you, kneeling on the ground. He's staring at the ground, almost unmoving, like a statue. He has a black hole in his chest, just above his collar.]

You can't go against her. You can't fight her. She's too strong. Why even try. Why fight at all.

[velluminous]

[ Sprezzatura alone is, at her core, Sprezzatura without trust nor calm. she's jittery as she walks, muttering to herself and clutching her spellbook as her tail lashes... and when Dimitri appears as the sole living being in the haze, rather than anyone else she travelled here with...

she 1) jumps out of her skin
2) freezes where she stands ]

Dimitri?

[voidhearts]

[He very briefly looks up at Sprezzatura. Then goes back to staring at the ground.]

You were wrong.

You can't stand against her.

Nobody can.

So why should I even try.

@AKIRA

[gravitonn]

[You see CAESAR standing a short distance away from you. He's clutching his head in his hands. He looks extremely distressed. After a few seconds, he starts punching himself in the chest. He has a black hole in his chest, just above his collar.]

Wake up...!

Wake up!

WAKE UP, YOU IDIOT!

She's going to die if you DON'T WAKE UP!

Re: @AKIRA

[survivaltricks]

Wh— whoa! Hey!

[darting towards him, immediately reaching for his wrists so he stops hitting himself]

Easy, there!

@TSUMUGI

[voidhearts]

[You see Agnis standing a short distance away from you. She's slumped over on the ground, exhausted, desperate, tears in her eyes, hands on her head. She has a black hole in her chest, just above her collar.]

I can't protect her...I can't protect her...

[cosplayed_out]

Agnis!!

[her eyes dart side to side in paranoia before approaching and kneeling down]

Hey... stay with me...!

[rise]

[voidhearts]

[The haze surrounding you fades away...

And all of you are back in the forest, standing in front of the barrier surrounding the temple. The ground shakes around you. You look at the four towers on the outskirts of the village and see violet cracks running through them.

With a deafening noise and a flash of light, all four towers shatter. Standing where they were are four people.]

Re: [rise]

[voidhearts]

Nessa....I know you're still in there. I know you're still fighting!

Even if you leave and become a witch, I'll always be here to support you!

[Agnis holds up her hand and conjures a huge fireball.]

Re: [rise]

[voidhearts]

I...I still don't know if I'm real or not! But....that doesn't matter! The life I live and how I choose to live it...that's what makes me real! And I want to live! I still want to be with you, Nessa!

[Void energy builds in Nell's hands.]

Re: [rise]

[gravitonn]

Even if I've been asleep all this time, I'm here to help you, here and now! Whether or not I wake up after this...nothing will keep me from finding my way back to you!

Hear me, Nessa?! I'll find you again! That's a promise!

[Caesar builds a huge gravity well on his foot.]

Re: [rise]

[voidhearts]

...looks like you made some pretty good friends, Nessa.

Some of 'em are relying on you to keep them going. If you disappoint them, I'll kick your butt for it the next time I see you in a dream.

So make sure there's a next time!

[Dimitri holds up his hand, CLOUDS! building around him.]

Re: [rise]

[voidhearts]

[All four of Nessa's family members throw the power they've gathered at the barrier. Already wavering from the loss of the towers, the barrier shatters into pieces!

Stairs leading upwards are waiting in front of you.

Caesar and Agnis are exhausted from the injuries they suffered fighting Esmau. Dimitri is back to focusing on using his clouds to keep the palace stable. Nell rejoins your party. She wipes some tears from her eyes, but she looks more determined than ever.]



I-I'm sorry I slowed us down, guys! Let's finish this!

[The path to the Temple is clear.]

[survivaltricks]

Nah. Don't apologize. You're here now; that's what matters.

[TO THE TEMPLE]

[messianic]

[ with a cheesy thumbs up: ]

You're doing great, Nell-san.

[ and then he follows Akira. TO THE TEMPLE. They've got work to do! ]

Re: [rise]

[velluminous]

[ well unlike the two PROTAGONISTS Sprezzatura looks like she's been through it, herself. she hurries up to gently grasp Nell by the forearms and squeeze once. ]

Look at what you've done. Don't you dare apologize. Come along. Come on.

[cosplayed_out]

Mission success erases all errors. It is no matter.

[and, back into character.]