[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

[DROWN]

[voidhearts]

[The bullets bounce off of Esmau as she runs at Nessa, who uses Cosplay Weapon to summon Gandalf's staff. She's about to use it when she sees Esmau is too close for her to cast a spell in time - she needs to Thunderstep away again - or use the ring to go invisible again or --

The hesitation costs her. Esmau kicks her in the stomach hard enough to knock the wind out of her.]

RRRAAAAAAHHHH!

[And drives her glaive through Nessa's chest.

The young witch's body suddenly goes limp as the blade runs her through.

This feels familiar.]

REACTION

[voidhearts]

Re: REACTION

[velluminous]

[ it all happens in slow

motion ]

Re: REACTION

[velluminous]

NESSA!

[ MAGIC MISSILE MAGIC MISSILE MAGIC MISSILE

just. beating on the bubble from within. the only thing you can see for a second is the flurry of bolts impacting against the Void, and the only thing you can hear is the infernal howling, shrieking, wailing of the woman inside ]

[cosplayed_out]

...

[despite herself, another memory comes up. That of her bashing another living person's head in. Just how visceral it'd been, even compared to the executions, because she had to get her hands dirty. But, this... made her want to do it again. Compared to any other execution she could dream up. Putting her in a killing game was too good for her.]

You are going to die for this, Esmau. This, and insulting anime!

[Right, stay grounded.]

[messianic]

[ oh no no no no no --

It's a softer yell than Sprezzatura's, but nonetheless: ]

Nessa!!

[survivaltricks]

[WELL. THAT SENSE OF RELIEF DIDN'T LAST LONG, DID IT]

[because whatever triumph had filled his heart after Nessa appeared is immediately replaced with ice in his veins]

-- NO!

[see Akira pounding violently against the sides of the bubble now, trying his best to break it, knowing that there's no way he can]

...

[warpweft]

[Nessa lets out a weak cough.

She remembers this. She remembers this feeling. She remembers Esmau doing this to her once before. But she knows this time is different. This time, her mother isn't around to bring her back. This time, she's going to let down more than just herself....she's going to let down all of her friends too.

She tries to tell them she's sorry, but it just comes out as a weak gurgle. She can already feel her vision fading and her body going numb...

...

...

...

'Saving everyone is not your responsibility. You're trying to help people. You and the rest of Echidna are the only people who can take on that role.

So--thank you. Thank you for doing what you are.'

...


'You want to learn to be better you. I can help with that.'

...


'You fought back for us. And I've never been able to thank you for it.'

...

'I don't know who Nell is, and I'll gladly listen if you want to confide and it will help, but I can tell that you're associating me with her. I don't want you to think of Nell when you think of me. I'm Tsumugi Shirogane. I'm not someone you betrayed. You did all you could.']

[rise]

[warpweft]

[Nessa's hand grips the Voidheart.]

The Void is my Heart.
My Heart is the Void.
What I give freely, you shall return.
Thus, I give my heart.
Thus, you give your Void!

[A black clawed hand shoots out of the Voidheart and palms Esmau's head.

Then it squeezes as hard as it can. Esmau's eyes widen as purple sparks appear alongside the umbral hand's surface.

It explodes, throwing Nessa and Esmau apart.]

[rise]

[warpweft]

[Nessa is hurt. She's burned. She's bleeding. But she's still moving. And she still has the Voidheart in her hand. She looks up and crawls on her hands and feet towards...

Sprezzatura.

She drags herself along the ground towards the bubble trapping Sprezzatura. She weakly holds the Voidheart out towards it. She can free her. She can free her with this. She just needs to get...a little....closer....]

[DROWN]

[voidhearts]

[A foot slams down on her arm, pinning it to the ground and stopping her crawling.

Esmau snarls down at Nessa. She's huffing and puffing. Sparks are flying off of her....not her body. Her shield.

There's a crack in Esmau's shield.

Esmau glowers down at Nessa, apoplectic that she's actually been harmed, even in this slightest way by Nessa. She starts to raise her glaive. Then she turns her head to see where Nessa was crawling too.

And she sneers at Sprezzatura.

She takes a step back. She rears her glaive up, positioning the blade so it's ready to fall on Nessa like an executioner's axe.

And she grins right at Sprezzatura. The person Nessa chose to crawl to in her most desperate moment. Esmau wants to savor how she reacts to what's about to happen.]

REACTION

[voidhearts]

1/2

[cosplayed_out]

[a monotone comes from Tsumugi's crystal]

Wow.

This is so absolutely depressing.

I am totally in despair right now.

2/2

[cosplayed_out]

Upupupu!!

[Tsumugi puts on her wig, Junko Enoshima takes a breath.]

You crazy bitch. Are you trying to upstage the Ultimate Despair!? Junko Enoshima never dies!!

Your execution is weak.

You are a nobody.

And I?

I am a legend!!

[cosplay weapon, a monokuma appears in her arms.]

Monokuma! Get me out of this thing and then rip her face off!

[The monokuma's paws sprout sharp looking fangs and claw it, while Junko invokes another cosplay weapon in the shape of a set of spears which strike out on their own to chip away at the crystal.]

You gonna hide behind this barrier like a worthless piece of trash!? God, even my sister isn't as pathetic as you, and that's saying something!

[one final effort is she raises an ice pick in her hand as one last cosplay weapon and bangs on it directly.]

HelllooooO~~? Anyone in there?? Come out and plaaa~aay!!

[sharp stabs, over and over]

Re: REACTION

[velluminous]

[ she's completely in despair right now.

there's something insane happening in Tsumugi's bubble, but the babbling and crashing is just background noise to her own heartbeat in her ears as Nessa, broken, dying, crawls her way towards her.

she's going to die trying to reach her. if she'd done more, maybe she'd still be...! if she were a better teacher. a better friend. just better, in general.

the frantic Magic Missiles have stopped, abruptly, like flicking a switch. suddenly there's no fight in her, only bargaining.

her voice comes out splitting and raw: ] Get away from her! Bitch! Shadow. Take me instead! There is so much you can force from me. Do you hear me? I'll kill you!

[ but she knows Esmau won't stop. the executioner doesn't stay her blade on account of the audience. so she stumbles forward: ] --Nessa! Look at me! Just l-look at me, lapochka.

Re: REACTION

[warpweft]

[Nessa lets out a weak cough. She tries to move, but Esmau's foot on her arm might as well be a wall.

She slowly brings her head up...and looks at Sprezzatura. She wheezes, blood pouring from her mouth. She can't say anything. But she does as she's told and looks at her teacher.]

Re: REACTION

[velluminous]

That's right. That's right. Good girl. I'm right here, lapochka.

Re: REACTION

[warpweft]

hhhhhhh...

hhhh....

mss...sp...

[Nessa slowly lifts her other arm. There might as well be an ocean between them, but the girl still tries to reach out for her.]

[messianic]

[ there's so much that could be said, so much that could be done right now. But in this moment, between action and reaction, Minato is frozen, looking between Nessa and Sprezzatura.

He can hear Tsumugi, understands the panic that's causing her to react the way she is, but he can't seem to find the breath to say anything.

They're poised on the edge of a knifeblade right now. But after coming this far--he has to hope, has to believe that Nessa won't fall like this. ]

[survivaltricks]

[there isn't much else Akira can do than continue to punch the bubble, until bruises litter his knuckles, skin red and raw underneath each blow]

What is your problem?!

[that's a rhetorical question spat out in anger and derision towards Esmau]

[DROWN]

[voidhearts]

[Esmau takes one last look around, taking in your horrified, desperate reactions with a giant grin on her face. She swings the blade down, towards Nessa's neck.]

[rise]

[voidhearts]

[KSSSHHH!

Two weapons clash against each other - Esmau's blade is knocked back as it's Parried away - by an avian monster warrior, wielding a staff.

Zarya, the Strix. Nessa's possession has placed herself on the board.

She doesn't try to fight Esmau. She grabs the Voidheart from Nessa's hand and clenches it. Purple cracks run through her hand and up her sleeve. She leaps into the air.]

[Zarya the Strix has Invoked the power of their Heart!]
[Zarya the Strix casts Shadow Talons!]

[Zarya spins through the air in a circle. Blades, curved like talons and overcharged with Void energy rain in every direction except straight down, where Nessa is on the ground. Esmau spins her glaive to deflect them. The rest strike the bubbles - cracking and then shattering them. You have been freed.]

[DROWN]

[voidhearts]

MOTHERFUCKER!

[Unfortunately, Zarya knew what she was trading by freeing everybody in that moment - she was leaving herself exposed. She lands on the ground. She goes to wrap Nessa up in her arms.

And Esmau's blade smashes into her back with the force of an avalanche. Zarya is nearly flung off the platform by the force of the blow right then and there.]

[rise]

[voidhearts]

[But she holds on. She holds onto the Voidheart, and she holds on to Nessa.]

I've....done all I can...!

It's up to you!

[She throws something at the ground. A cloud of smoke covers her and Nessa, rendering both of them invisible.]

[DROWN]

[voidhearts]

.....tch.

[Esmau sneers. She looks around and sees....all of you. Freed from your prisons.

She knows she has to go after Zarya and retrieve the Voidheart. But she also knows you're not going to let her do that. So she smashes the blade of her glaive on the ground once. The shield surrounding her body shimmers briefly, then becomes invisible. You can no longer see the crack. You don't know where to attack to make her vulnerable, but you know it's there.]

She no longer has the Voidheart.
There's a crack in her shield.

A path to victory may be making itself apparent to you.]

Come on! COME ON! I'll throw all your heads at her feet before I finish her off! How's that sound?!