…
≫ THIS IS THE TALE OF TRAGEDY, THE STORY OF A FRIEND’S DEPARTURE AND A STRANGER’S ARRIVAL.
…
≫ BOTH YOU AND YOUR FRIEND ARE IN DANGER. ONLY ONE MAY BE SAVED...
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SO WHO WILL IT BE?
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Want to play?
≫ YES > NO
…
《 INSTRUCTIONS 》
≫ IN THIS GAME FORMATTED FANFIC SERIES, YOU (the reader) ARE THE PROTAGONIST. FOLLOW YOUR PATH AS THE MAIN CHARACTER AND SEE HOW YOUR FATE UNFOLDS BY UNCOVERING THE TALE BEHIND ANTE MERIDIEM.
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≫ YOU WILL ENCOUNTER VARIOUS CHARACTERS ALONG THE WAY. KNOW YOUR FRIENDS FROM YOUR FOES - WHO AND WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO TRUST WILL LEAD TO WHO WILL END UP SAFE... AND WHO WILL NOT.
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≫ THE INITIAL START FOR THIS GAME BEGINS ON FRIDAY THE 13th (October 2017). FROM THIS DATE, PARTS THAT REVEAL BOTH PAST AND PRESENT WILL BE UNLOCKED UP UNTIL HALLOWEEN (October 31st), WHERE THE FINALE WILL BE POSTED. <!>
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≫ GOOD LUCK…
…
YOU’LL NEED IT.
《 THE STORY 》
After playing a “game” you really shouldn’t have, you are awakened daily from a new voicemail. No Caller ID, but you know the thing behind the other line is an old friend requesting the impossible: he wants you back… so you can save him. That is, if it really is him, and not something far more… sinister.
it is up to you to piece together the entire story of Ante Meridiem along the way. each part is a build up to the upcoming future, and each cutscene is a piece of the haunting past.
《 PART SELECTION 》
this is the fic series masterlist. once the listed part has been posted, it will be linked below.
ー the prelude [PROLOGUE]
「AM 01:27」
ー the game
「AM 01:59」
ー the invitation
「AM 02:44」
ー the arrival
「AM 03:00」
ー the main event
「AM 03:33」
ー the farewell [FINALE]
「AM 04:00」
✩ "Ante Meridiem" is a fanfic series for nct in game format. For more information, refer to the "Title Screen" (introductory / master post).
cast ≫ reader (gender neutral), nct
genre ≫ suspense, horror, angst
word count ≫ 0.9k
warnings ≫ none
LOCATION: YOUR HOME
THE PRESENT TIME IS: AM, 12:07
...
What will you do?
> RETURN TO TITLE SCREEN
> EXIT GAME
≫ START GAME
Plunged into absolute darkness after drawing the blinds shut, the ritual was one step closer to commence.
Every physical requirement was in place, from the candle contained in a miniature glass holder, to the deck of cards and salt sprawled upon the surface of your room's floor.
You were ready to begin.
Carefully, you sat yourself down cross legged before your hand searched for the matches. The corners of your lips twitched upwards in success once your fingers came in contact with the
tattered match box. Pushing the slot outwards with your thumb, you selected a match and struck it across the textured side of its containment.
The tip of the match lit up upon contact, and you inwardly celebrated your first attempt working as you guided the strip of wood towards the candle. The light ember illuminating a small portion of the room was just about to make contact with the candle wick whenー
The sound of your name being called in the hallway caused you to falter, and you hastily blew out the match before any damage could be done. The wood fell to the ground with a tiny thud and you scrambled to disassemble the ritual you had prepared. You piled up the playing cards while muttering a few curse words under your breath. Damn past you for entrusting Mark Lee with your extra set of house keys.
"I bought us some dinner," your friend called out. You could hear the sound of his footsteps approaching, causing you to speed up your pace. "Hope you don't mind another round of pizza!"
"It's fine!" you yelled back, though the response ultimately led to your downfall. The both of you had paused, Mark's trail halting in unison with your card collecting, but you quickly tossed the deck somewhere under your bed as Mark navigated towards your room.
Your motions became frantic at this point. "W-wait, wait!" you pleaded, cupping your hands against the ground in attempt to gather the salt.
But Mark did not wait. Unceremoniously he waltzed into your room with a pizza box in hand.
He flicked open the switch, causing you to wince as your eyes tried adjusting to the light instantly filling up the interior previously shrouded in darkness. By the time you fully opened them, your gaze met Mark's.
You could only bring yourself to watch as his line of vision travelled downwards, to the evident usage of salt and almost used candle. All with a flicker of disappointment in his eyes as he looked. "I thought... I thought we agreed to stop with this sort of thing." Mark's voice was just a murmur, and you could feel a small pang of guilt striking your conscience.
"I didn't agree to anything," you replied firmly. "You did. You're the one who said you wanted to stop everything we've been doing for fun, and I respect that. I just don't feel the same way."
Mark scoffed in disbelief. "You think this is fun? Even after what happened to Donghyuck?"
You snapped at the mention of his name. "Of course I don't think this is fun! But I'm doing it for the sake of Donghyuck, this is all for him!"
"Then I guess we're not on the same page," he gripped the cardboard tightly, averting his eyes towards any direction you were not in. "You didn't take the whole mishap as a cue to put an end to things."
At this point the remains of your ritual attempt were long forgotten. "Yeah, I guess you're right Mark," you lowered your voice as you stood up from the ground, only to raise it once he made eye contact. "Because I'm not a quitter! At least I'm not forcing my choices onto you like you are to me!"
the words leaving your mouth were unintentionally harsh, blind wrath taken out on the last friend you held dearly. You didn't mean to retaliate, let alone yell at him, but it was too late.
He broke the shared gaze by turning around, facing his back towards you. The pizza box was placed upon your barren nightstand without a sound; Mark was so silenced by your statement you had almost missed the "sorry" that escaped from his lips.
What you did not fail to miss was the soft cry that followed, along with an apology of increased volume merged with a sob. You rushed towards Mark without hesitation, capturing him in an embrace from behind.
"I... I owe you an apology," he sniffed. One of his hands locked onto your arm, pulling it closer to him for comfort. "you and Donghyuck."
"Me too," you pressed your face against the fabric of his hoodie, the cotton collecting a few of your own tears that had slipped from your eyes. "So I have to do this. I'll finish what we started so everything can be over for us. You, me, and him."
You broke away from the physical contact by turning yourselves over, releasing your hold on Mark once you were on the side with the door.
"Are you going?" he inquired, blinking rapidly to rid his eyelashes of stray tears.
You nodded in affirmation, twisting the doorknob while you were at it. "I need to pay a friend of ours a visit."
✩ "Ante Meridiem" is a fanfic series for nct in game format. For more information, refer to the "Title Screen" (introductory / master post).
cast ≫ reader (gender neutral), nct
genre ≫ suspense, horror, angst
word count ≫ 0.4k
warnings ≫ coarse language
《 CUTSCENE UNLOCKED 》
...
What will you do?
> RETURN TO TITLE SCREEN
> EXIT GAME
> REPLAY PREVIOUS
≫ PLAY
...
LOADING...
「 20XX|10|XX - AM 01:27 」
👿HYUCK😈
You up?
Before you could even process the text being displayed on your screen, the sender began to call you.
INCOMING CALL
👿HYUCK😈
You chuckled to yourself in amusement, of course he wouldn't wait for your reply. Picking up the cellular device that rested on your nightstand, you answered. "I'm not awake right now, sorry."
"Ha ha, and I'm the Queen of England. Very funny, I almost believed you this time," Donghyuck snorted from the other end of the line.
"For your information Mister Lee Donghyuck, I was just about to go to bed."
"Oh really?" you could picture the feigned shock upon his face just by the way he annunciated those two words. In fact, you had been his 'accomplice' long enough to know that it was simply a prelude to trouble, all you had to do was wait for your invitation to hop on board.
"Well what if I told you I've got a destination for tonight?"
There it was.
The invitation dangling above you by a string, tempting despite all the thrills and dangers that were bound to come with it.
"I don't know, Hyuck. I need details if I'm gonna get parental permission for this."
"Sure, tell your mom we're going to pay my ghost buddy a visit. The address is 666 Suck-my-Ass Boulevard if she wants to come pick you up."
You waited before responding, holding back a chuckle. "I asked my mom, she said 'Fuck you'."
There was a moment of silence before the two of you burst into simultaneous laughter.
"I'll pick you up on the way then?" Donghyuck was the first to speak once more, and you had just begun to stop laughing.
"Yeah. What time?"
He hesitated for a moment before responding. "Uh... in, like, two minutes?"
"What?!" Your eyes widened. "How, what, why? You're driving? Who's car are you even using?"
"I'm not driving, of course. Mark is! If you wanted shotgun, you're out of luck." Donghyuck mused. "We tried to borrow Taeyong's car, but he doesn't approve this sort of thing. But Taeil loves me, so!"
You listened intently as you hastily prepared for your leave, tossing on a warm jacket as you packed a small shoulder bag to bring along.
"Hurry up, nerd! We're pulling up on your driveway as I speak!"
"Alright, alright!" you yelled into your phone mic, rushing towards your window to see your two friends aboard Taeil's black convertible. After taking a few seconds to aim, you flung your bag out and successfully landed it in the backseat of the vehicle.
✩ “Ante Meridiem” is a fanfic series for nct in game format. For more information, refer to the “Title Screen” (introductory / master post).
cast ≫ reader (gender neutral), nct
genre ≫ suspense, horror, angst
word count ≫ 1.7k
warnings ≫ none
LOCATION: OUTSIDE YOUR HOUSE
THE TIME IS: AM, 12:15
…
What will you do?
> RETURN TO TITLE SCREEN
> REPLAY PREVIOUS
> EXIT GAME
≫ START GAME
Nakamoto Yuta was just an acquaintance of yours. The type of business you two had with each other was not very applicable to the classification of friendship. He was your go-to man for all the dangerous, paranormal activities you had been partaking in for so long, and if anyone could help you and Mark with the predicament you faced, it was him.
The Paranormalist had his own shop in town, just off the outskirts of the market. It wasn’t too far to get their on foot, a little under thirty minutes, but it was not particularly the safest hour to be out and about and you out of all people were most aware of the malevolent forces that prowled within shadows. At this particular time, you could not afford to communicate with them or allow yourself to fall prey.
So your first destination was a neighbouring household, the home that belonged to the Lee family. You were familiar with their son, Jeno, though you didn’t know him like Donghyuck did. The connection you had with him was enough to give you his permission to borrow his bike though, but that was whenever Donghyuck was unable to give you a ride. It wouldn’t hurt to give it a try now, you thought.
You rushed to the doorstep of the Lee household, ringing their doorbell only once. There seemed to be someone home, judging from the visibly dim lighting in the living room, and you knew that Jeno in particular was quite the night owl.
When the door opened, you were greeted with a vaguely familiar eye smile belonging to the boy you sought out. “Hey Y/N. Nice to see you again,” Jeno smiled softly. You caught sight of a few other boys in his living room, also friends of Donghyuck, but their attention was fixated upon the flat screen tv. “I was wondering how you’ve been lately. Are you okay?”
You mirrored his gracious expression, but decided it was best to get to the point. It’s not like you were capable of answering his question anyways. “I need to borrow your bike, if that’s alright.”
“O-of course,” he nodded, though judging by the way his eyes widened Jeno did not expect to hear your request. “But where are you off to at this hour?”
“I have to go visit The Cauldron,” you answered with hesitation. Jeno was displeased by hearing the name of Yuta’s shop, though you fully expected him to be. The way his lips pressed together in a tight line nipped at your conscience.
“I don’t think that’s the best idea. Are you sure?” Jeno folded his arms across his chest, resting his body against the door frame.
“I have to,” you replied sadly. “For Donghyuck.”
Jeno’s eyes lit up at the mention of his name. “I see… well, I guess I can’t stop you.” after running his slender fingers through the locks of his bleached hair, he gestured towards the side. “My bike is against the wall, just before the backyard. Play things safe, Y/N.”
You brought up the best smile of gratitude you could muster. “Right. Thank you, Jeno!”
He gave a small nod in return, cautiously shutting the door as you made a run for it. You kept to the walk way, careful not to step on the Lee family’s neatly trimmed grass.
As promised, the simple piece of transportation lay idle against the exterior of the house. You removed the bicycle from its resting position, eagerly hopping onto the seat as your feet fixated upon the pedals. Once you had definite control, you exerted pressure against the pedals while steering yourself towards the direction of town.
《 CHECKPOINT 》
What will you do?
> RETURN TO TITLE SCREEN
> RESTART
> SAVE & QUIT
≫ SAVE & CONTINUE
…
NOW SAVING…
LOCATION: “THE CAULDRON”
THE TIME IS: AM, 12:32
The Cauldron was a whimsically dark establishment, despite it being easily missed by the typical onlookers eyes.
Its name was not explicitly depicted in English and was instead indicated by its Latin translation, Despumat Aeni, scrawled upon the walls with black paint. Though Yuta’s shop did the carved in image of a cauldron upon the wooden door, right above the skeletal door knocker, and that was just enough assurance for you to confirm it was the correct destination.
Propping Jeno’s bike up on its own to park it, you settled your mode of transportation in an area where you could keep a watchful eye even from within the store. The windows were tinted glass, a gradient of various colors but translucent enough for one to identify the amount of dangling ornaments hanging from the inside.
Identical gargoyle statues stood on opposite sides of the entrance, glaring at you with menacing eyes of jade. Your attention was placed upon another eye, the one with a far more welcoming design just above the doorknob that served as a keyhole.
“Yuta?” you called for the storeowner upon entering the premises. At first there was no response, so you cautiously proceeded inwards. Your attention hopped from object to object; there was practically an infinite amount of items to choose from. Every bit of furniture with a solid surface adorned their own collection of trinkets to their very edges. There were even potion-like substances contained in vials and flasks threatening to fall off a particularly packed shelf. Unsettling dolls sat upon towering stacks of booksー grimoires, Yuta called them. “Mortal hands like yours” weren’t “worthy” of touching them, apparently.
“What caught your eye?” a chilling voice from behind murmured close to your ear, taking you by surprise.
Stepping forward while whirling around to see who had spoken, you were greeted by the very man you had been seeking. Yuta had practically materialized out of thin air, but you weren’t about to question it.
The so called Paranormalist was either a very convincing fraud or a brilliantly mad expert of dark arts.
“Everything,” you replied, deciding to be as respectful you could manage. “You have a lot of interesting things to look at.”
Ever so slightly, Yuta tilted his head to the side. The corners of his lips twitched upwards, curving into a light smirk. “But it’s not what you’re looking for, is it dear Amicus?” the nickname he called you in place of your real name he had probably forgotten sent a shiver down your spine. Apparently it was Latin for friend, but you struggled to deem Yuta as so.
“No, I actually came here to ask you for a new game to play.” Walking forwards, you were drawn to an unkempt desk covered with all sorts of cards missing from their piles and stray papers. Yuta followed suit, chuckling lightly as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his black trousers.
“All alone? You’ve always played with your partners in crime, I can’t help but wonder why they’re absent.”
You frowned at his straightforward curiosity, responding flatly, “They’re not able to make themselves present… at the moment.”
“I see,” the Paranormalist nodded slowly, though his curiosity seemed to satisfied by the mundane answer. “Well games played in solitude are just as enjoyable, perhaps even more. Your only problem is that it becomes more dangerous…” Yuta’s eyes fixated on you, waiting to see how you’d react.
“I’m willing to take the risks.”
Yuta grinned widely. “Now that’s the spirit!” he placed his hands on his hips, shifting his weight over to one leg as he posed rather mischievously. “What kind of game did you have in mind?”
“I need a game that will let me contact the dead,” you declared bluntly. “One that isn’t restricted to yes-or-no questions or other simple things. I need to have a full out conversation with them, more than one if possible.”
“Oh,” the tone of Yuta’s voice was different now, somber and understanding, perhaps with a smudge of sympathy. He retreated from your side, making his way towards another counter with less flair in his step than he originally started out with.
Once his back was turned towards you, he spoke up again, “Why not give them a call?”
You narrowed your eyes at the absurd suggestion. How were you supposed to call a dead person? You asked him just that.
Yuta’s hands now rested on an antique telephone you had not seen before. He then proceeded to lift it up from the table it resided on, revealing a thin little manual beneath it coated with a visible layer of dust. “We live in an age of technology Amicus, everyone yearns to stay connected one way or another. So do those who dwell on the other side!”
He handed you the manual, printed and stapled paper that looked to be recently crafted, and smiled once more. “It’s been about a year since I’ve had anyone play this game, but it’s one of my favorites.”
In the front of the manual was a black-and-white image of a telephone, similar to the one that had been covering it. Vocatio Ludum was boldly printed at the top, though its translation was right below in a smaller font. “The Calling Game?”
“Yes. If your ritual is successful, you should get exactly what you want. All you need to do is make sure you follow all of the instructions provided, I can’t stress that enough,” Yuta explained. His eyebrows were furrowed and there was hardly a trace of his previous grin, you couldn’t help but go wide eyed at his seriousness. “And make sure you’re talking to the right being!”
“Oh, I’ll know,” you nodded in understanding, folding up the manual before tucking it into your pocket. “I’ll do my best to make it work. It has to.”
For a moment you and Yuta had made direct eye contact, but you were quick to break away for the sake of returning to the entrance. “Thank you, Yuta,” you looked over your shoulder to offer the Paranormalist some gratitude.
He smiled but uttered no verbal farewell, settling for a small wave as you walked out the door. Once every bell ceased their chime, however, he disposed of the gracious expression plastered on his face. Then, after laying eyes on the telephone once more, Yuta let out a low chuckle of cruel mirth.
due to personal issues, the Ante Meridiem campaign will be delayed.
this means that it will most likely be unable to finish at the designated end date, which was October 31st.
the campaign will extend into November, though its end date is uncertain.
We sincerely apologize for any issues and disappointment this update may cause, but we hope you will continue to keep up with Ante Meridiem. Thank you.
