#lau fei

[colorfuldreamsmkg]

The Zenith - CD End Posts 6/6

Back in the trial room, Lau Fei laid on the watery ground. Despite the fact he was bleeding, the water didn’t seem to be exacerbating that. They just laid there, compliant, and cried silent tears as they gripped at their wound and stared into space, muttering to themself.

Your personal devices washed up, bubbling from beneath the water right to your feet, unharmed and undamaged. The water hadn’t clogged them up, thankfully. Library Miku also emerged from the depth, damp, but unharmed. For a moment, all she did was stare.

Juniper rushed over to Lau Fei’s side, dropping to their knees and pressing their hands to his body to staunch the bleeding. With their free hand, they grabbed Lau Fei’s in their own and squeezed. Soothing words that weren’t meant for your ears came from their lips.

“Stay with me, Fei, I’m not letting you go like this,” Juniper said.

Lau Fei just smiled dizzily up at Juniper.

“...I’m sorry. For everything.”

Too little, too late.

Erika reaches down to check her phone, make sure the makeshift prison for the entity beyond human understanding is still functioning. They’re not sure how to feel that it is. Miku Prime effectively sealed, Lau Fei laying on the ground bleeding. People en route to come save them. They should be happy, shouldn’t they?

….No, because they know how much the people they love are going to be hurting from that last action. An exchange that they were powerless to stop, but that’s a small comfort. As everyone else is recovering from all that, they walk over to pick up the gun, holding it loosely in their grip as they look down at it.

It would be so easy. A turn, aiming it. A twitch of their finger. What’s one more gun based death on their hands? She’ll already carry the regret of all the other blood the rest of her life, what’s a bit more?

….

She puts her phone into her pocket, and–after making sure the safety on the gun is on–the gun follows into another pocket. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, they face the group.

“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do–We already know that the cops are on the way, and personally,” they pause and look at Lau Fei’s crumpled form. “I’m not letting you take the easy way out. You’re gonna have to live with all this shit and what you’ve done. None of the rest of you are killing him either, you hear me? We actually have a goddamn chance of getting out of here, so we’re not fucking it up by killing Lau Fei. We’ll just… Just have to take turns watching them until the cops get here, got it? Just for a while.”

As you had gained the desperately-needed room to breathe, the pounds of bricks weighing on your shoulders slowly crumbling to dust. It was time to leave this SEKAI, wasn’t it? Likely for good, for the most of you.

“...I’m going to send you back now,” Library Miku said with a gentle voice. “...Don’t be a stranger.”

Perhaps even Mikus feared loneliness too.

One by one, each person who hadn’t stopped Untitled on their own was lightly tapped and returned to the college, the faint scent of dust and rubble mingling with the aura of being lived in, something the building hadn’t experienced for decades: being a home. One could expect it to be properly demolished in due time.

May 4th, 2:39 PM. Some of you had not slept in over 24 hours by this point, and those who had could only fit in short naps. Outside of those who were left in charge of babysitting Lau Fei in the infirmary, the remaining group, 12 in all, dispersed to transfer items they wanted to keep to their own SEKAIs and to catch up on sleep while awaiting the authorities to arrive, courtesy of Alette.

May 4th, 7:47 PM. The sounds of footsteps outside crunching among the grass and voices shouting for signs of life breached through the windows. With the help of ropes and tools fed in through the basement windows, as well as cushioned padding within the courtyard, the group was able to safely and securely descend through the third-floor classroom window a couple of hours later.

Authorities ascended upwards soon after to retrieve the injured Lau Fei, treat his wounds, and take him into custody Despite all the anger and rage from before, Lau Fei goes without a fight.

With everyone being loaded into police vehicles for transport somewhere safe, those who could speak fluent Japanese were held for questioning, and ultimately everyone was safely returned to their homes. Emotional scars could last a lifetime, but at least… at least you were home. If you were lucky, life would return to normal soon enough.

And still, should you seek it, your SEKAI’s file remained on your phone, with your virtual singers patiently awaiting news of your safety, provide emotional support, and give you a true pathway to your dreams. If only you chose to do so.

After all, wasn’t that what a SEKAI was supposed to be for?

[colorfuldreamsmkg]

Waltz of Knives - CD End Posts 4/6

As the glitter and the glow of what could have only been the remnants of a fragment faded away, you returned to the trial room. The air felt… peaceful in comparison. The glitching and scratching, the echoing in an open world had faded. Though, it would be most accurate to say the bar for ‘peaceful’ was low, as the tension still stretched everyone thin.

You rubbed the dust from your eyes, processing the new surroundings. Prime was gone. Nothing but the ink-like blood slowly dispersing in the water remained, which would eventually grow visually undetectable, as the waters expanded outwards in what could very well be forever. They’d fade, just like her effect on your life.

Things weren’t entirely silent, however, as the sound of a speaker played a sound similar to tapping on the edge of a microphone.

“What did you DO to me?!”

Much quieter now, Prime’s voice could be heard with the tinny quality of a cheap cell phone, all centered in Erika’s hand.

Erika stares down at her phone, more than a little surprised that that actually worked the way they wanted it to. A short laugh escapes them, full of bewilderment more than anything.

“I think I trapped you in my phone,” they say after a moment before looking up at the others. “She can’t–She can’t get out, I don’t think!” 

“It’s…it’s over…” Library Miku let out a sigh of relief. Tears of joy began to pour down her face and she collapsed to her knees and began to openly weep. 

It was over, wasn’t it? For all of you. The contract was dissolved and Miku Prime was powerless. You were finally free from this horrible game. No one else had to die. No one else had to suffer. It was finally over. 

Except…for one of you, it would never be over. 

All that death. All that suffering. All that labor. All of it amounted to nothing. Seven deaths sacrificed with nothing to show for it. 

No. There was something to show for it.

Lau Fei’s whole fucking life was ruined now. What were they going to return to now? A prison cell? Not like this. They couldn’t accept this result so easily. Rationality had long since flown out the window and Lau Fei saw red.

“What do you think you’re all celebrating for? Huh??” Lau Fei just about snarled. “You broke the contract! All of your friends died for NOTHING!” 

The water beneath Lau Fei’s feet began to ripple rapidly, almost boiling.

“So you’ve defeated the big, bad Miku. So what? Have you forgotten where you are right now? That’s right. This is still my SEKAI!”

Waves erupted from Lau Fei at the epicenter, consuming everything nearby, including Library Miku who was pushed under the surface. Even as the water leveled, she didn’t return. The water continued to undulate, splashing and slashing everything in its path. It was violent and destructive. 

Globs of water shot from the floor to forcibly yank the phones out of your hands. Cutting off every means of escape, including leaving the SEKAI. Lau Fei wasn’t thinking clearly, but he was at least level headed enough to figure that out. 

“Everything WASTED. All because you’re too SELF-CENTERED to see the bigger picture! So focused on your own worthless lives you’ll do nothing with! How can you live with yourselves? You really feel like this is a victory? You’re NOTHING!”

The waves were so tumultuous it was impossible to approach Lau Fei safely. Not without great personal risk.

“And you.” Lau Fei turned to address Harper. “Do you feel proud of yourself? You saved a handful of lives. Do you think they’ll be grateful? Do you think they’ll ever understand the weight of your sacrifice? They won’t. They’ve used you up. Just like EVERY OTHER PERSON HAS! And you know what the funniest part is, Harper?”

Harper didn’t answer – maybe he didn’t have one. He was just approaching Lau Fei, as close as he could manage with the tempest, his hands held aloft and empty, trying in vain to reason with his friend.

“You don’t have to do this, Lau Fei,” Harper’s voice was saying, calm, soothing, even in the wake of such violence. “It’s over. Let things be.”

But as that Harper was speaking…

A second was creeping behind Lau Fei, kitchen knife gleaming in hand. And just like that, the trick was obvious to any observer. The classic Arided-Harper switcheroo.

Arided on distraction duty, Harper creeping up for the kill from behind. Harper rose his knife, began his lunge –

“You still think, after all this time, I wouldn’t recognize a fake when I see one?”

Lau Fei abruptly turned around, manifesting a spear into their hand and shoving it straight into Harper’s chest. 

At the same time, Harper thrust his blade forward, the serrated edge plunging straight for Lau Fei’s heart –

But then. As if in slow motion. Seen clearly by any who cared to observe, as Lau Fei declared his recognition – a relieved smile burst across Harper’s face. And his strike faltered, failing to aim true. The blade angled away –

Missing Lau Fei’s vitals by a hair.

Lau Fei’s expression fell, from feral, to shocked and horrified as he realized what he’d done. No… Lau Fei coughed, but there was no blood. It still hurt, but they were clearly okay. A non-fatal wound. Lau Fei gripped their chest, tears already pooling in their eyes. 

“Harper…why?” Lau Fei choked out. 

Why? A good question. Why, indeed? Harper seemed to consider that – a curious smile on his face as he stumbled back a step, the kitchen knofe clattering from his hand.

“Because…”

Maybe it was for revenge. To give Lau Fei the one thing they’d ever wanted – someone who understood them – and them orchestrate it so that Lau Fei destroyed that with his own two hands.

Maybe it was for love. Harper finally had a friend who recognized him, called out to him – not some copy, not some fantasy, but Harper, in all his flaws and mistakes and vices and virtues. How could he take that away? How could he deprive the world of you?

Maybe he wanted you to live.

Maybe he wanted to die.

As always, as ever with him – maybe it was a bit of everything. A mixture of motives, cobbled together into one, monstrous, inhuman golem –

One that started laughing.

“Because this is my happy ending.”

“...I hate you, Harper.” A voice filled with love. “...Get out of here. Don’t let them have the satisfaction.”

“…You too, Lau Fei. Run as far as you can.”

[colorfuldreamsmkg]

The Burden of Proof || Lau Fei || Trial 5.5 || Re: Ozzy || Attn: Juniper

Lau Fei laughed lightly, a melodic and sweet sound not befitting the situation. Lau Fei wasn't entirely sure of a way to break the contract, but they could make a guess here or there on things to try. Not that they were going to share such an idea with any of the others here. But it wouldn't be fun if they didn't at least attempt to even the playing field. What's the point in watching people struggle without even a glimpse of hope?

"Interesting theory, Ozzy! Why don't we test that out?" Lau Fei asked with a grin.

The water beneath their feet consumed them and no longer than a second later, they popped back out directly behind Juniper. Lau Fei wrapped their arms around Juniper, hands gently spreading across Juniper's chest before landing on their shirt. They pulled the side of it down to reveal Juniper's shoulder. And then bit down. Hard. Hard enough to leave a mark, hard enough to draw blood.

Hard enough that if the rule was no one could hurt another in this SEKAI, that the contract would have broken right then and there.

Lau Fei stopped biting and stepped back, giving a light pat to Juniper's back.

"Thank you for being such a good assistant, Juni."

"See that? I just 'hurt' Juni and nothing happened. Witch just sort of debunked it anyway, but is there anything better than physical tangible proof?" Lau Fei said.

Lau Fei grabbed Juniper's hand to hold and looked over the group. Should they say anything else here?

...

"I'll tell you this much about that contract. It's definitely forged out of whatever Eldritch magic Miku has. So it will break automatically the second the terms are broken. Basically what I'm saying is that you won't have to do something like 'prove' the terms have been broken. When the contract breaks, it will happen automatically and instantaneously. Good luck. I don't think there's much you can do, can you?"

[colorfuldreamsmkg]

The Wind Extolling Freedom - Ch5 trial phase 2

As arguments seemed to wrap, with the contributions from Erika and Harper, the final lock of ‘why’ begins to glow. The chains rattle beneath its weight, as if trying to break free under the resistance of the secrets hidden within. A soft, unidentifiable voice seems to echo in your minds, identifying the final answers from your long discussion.

Erika wished to earn money and regain ownership of the store once held dear to her parents. Harper wished to destroy all SEKAIs for the sake of Alette and sought to gain this ability through Miku Prime. Miku Prime grew jealous of the human experience, and wished to feed upon their emotions for power in the human realm, and to experience the full range of human emotions herself. Lau Fei wished to bypass his lack of talent to use the deaths of those with strong dreams to create a masterpiece of a song and to be someone special.

The lock stopped glowing, as with a click and a clatter, it popped open and all the chains fell to the floor. The door swung wide open, revealing its contents.

Now, the door is open, and Library Miku doesn’t waste another second before running towards the open door. There is no Miku Prime to stop her. And Lau Fei has no physical form to race her currently.

“No!!” Lau Fei shouts, but is unable to do anything to stop her. 

Library Miku runs out with a paper clutched in her hands. Her grip is tight. She’s not letting this go easily.

“…I got it here, everyone!” she shouts.

“Goddammit,” Lau Fei curses. And suddenly, the screen he was on flickers off. It isn’t long you’re left wondering where he went, because almost immediately he pops from the ground like a jack in the box directly in front of Library Miku and snatches the contract from her hands.

In terms of appearance, he looks different from before. Different, even, from the appearance you’d just seen on the screen. His face is still the same, but the outfit…

It’s more like something Crimson would wear.

Dark red and black clothing, with white wolf accessories. A wolf’s maw peeks over Lau Fei’s head, glaring at the group of you. 

Lau Fei doesn’t even seem to pay attention to the outfit change, as he glares at Library Miku and snarls, “Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?”

Library Miku’s eyes narrow and her expression tightens. “I am…but I’m also on theirs.” She looks to the rest of the group. “And it’s too late. I already saw the contract, so I can just…do…this…”

It’s easy to forget this is also Library Miku’s SEKAI with how passive she is. Being locked away for months made her seem more like a princess locked away in a tower, but in truth, she’s just as capable of using this space as any other member of the SEKAI.

A hologram of a screen flickers on, projecting an image of the contract’s terms for everyone to see.

Miku Prime will help Lau Fei run a killing game to draw power from innate musical talent for his own use. In exchange, Miku Prime will be permitted to feed off of the residual emotions left behind by the deceased to sustain her power.  1. Neither member of this SEKAI may harm another. 2. Upon the completion of this contract, both parties will part amicably. Should either party violate this contract, they will lose all gained power from the deal and be unable to regain what they had acquired through this deal by any means.

Lau Fei curses a little, but smiles manically.

“Fine. Now you know the terms! So what? What do you plan to do now?”

Harper steps forward, tilting his head back in a laugh – it starts benign enough, but eventually warps, becoming more and more hysterical, until he’s practically howling, howling like a dog. Grief and anguish and all that could have been, should have been, that now never would. Every broken promise he’d ever made, weighed upon his shoulders, from the minor to the major. What could he do but laugh about it? The mirthful, joyous sound was out of control, leaving him breathless, dizzy.

He’s broken so many promises, failed to keep his word countless times. He’s fell through on so many deals and bargains.

Why not? Let’s do it again, one final time.

“Keep away from Lau Fei,” he warned the group, pulling the stolen kitchen knife from where he’d hidden it on his person. “This one’s mine.”

Erika’s hand jams itself into their jacket–for once, they actually wish they had Sonny’s gun just to have something to use. Instead, their fingers curl around the handle of their taser. She doesn’t step forward just yet, but her eyes are focused on the new wolf in front of them.

She shouldn’t have to do anything, right? Harper has made it exceedingly clear that he and Lau Fei’s toxic dance with each other has only one possible conclusion. But just because she’s in a healthier place now, it doesn’t mean she’s just about to assume the best outcome. Especially not when Lau Fei seems to have just as much control over this place as Miku Prime has shown.

So they circle towards some of their friends a little, more ready to play defense if need be than charge in.

“If anyone has anything they wanna say to convince either of them one way or the other–now’s probably the best time for it. I don’t think we’re gonna get much more time for a decision. Aside from that–Anyone got any idea on how to break that goddamn contract with the way those terms are set up?”

The tension in the room was enough to raise your hair on end. With all the surmounting lies, at times it could be difficult to tell who’s side anyone truly was on. But now was the time to clear up any misconceptions, wasn’t it? To say your piece, to find a way out of this mess. With the contract in hand, the group had the most power they’d held in a long, long time.

You could taste the winds of freedom.

[colorfuldreamsmkg]

A Moment of Reflection || Lau Fei || Trial 5.4 || Re: Juniper, Harper || Attn: Harper

Lau Fei's mind was running in circles. New information and thoughts assaulting them from all sides. They were having a hard time keeping up with all the fresh stimuli.

Miku Prime wasn't a god? It was all a lie? In a sense, there was something to that. It made sense, now that it was being brought up. After all, why would a god need to make deals like this to begin with? Why would a god need to gather strength through killing games? Shouldn't they already be powerful on their own?

They'd been played.

And for what?

Did Miku Prime think they wouldn't make a deal with her if they thought she wasn't a true god? The better question was would they have? They weren't even certain. Would they have even believed something that wasn't a true god would actually be able to fulfill their dreams? They weren't even certain of that, but Lau Fei wasn't about to make excuses for her. Whether they would have or not was irrelevant. Because they were still lied to. Treated no differently from any of the others.

What reason did Lau Fei have for loyalty?

They didn't.

Lau Fei felt a new conviction now.

They weren't going to protect Miku Prime anymore. They were no longer on her side.

But that didn't mean they were on the side of anyone else.

These people...

They hated them. All of them. The people who laughed at them and mocked them. The people who destroyed whatever remained of Harper's humanity. How could, even now, Juniper beg for their lives? Why was he protecting them? Why? Why care about these fickle lives?

It all hurt.

"...Juni. How could I ask you to do that? Run away with me? You'd be giving up everything. If I let everyone go and leave with you, you'll have to live a life on the run. You won't be able to see your family again. You'll never be able to go home. That's not the kind of life I'd wish for you."

But still far too selfish to give Juniper up. Still too greedy to let Juniper go. They didn't want to live a life without them, but they didn't want Juniper to suffer. To have to sacrifice anything. It was a wish that was in contrast with everyone else's lives.

"...I'm sorry, Juni. I didn't want you to suffer like this, but you were dragged in anyway. Forced to witness countless deaths and grieve. I never wanted this for you."

Because they loved him.

And right now, they hated Miku Prime more than anyone and anything.

Because she was the reason Juniper had to hurt.

Had to experience such unpleasant things.

"...When we got to perform together...I was happy too."

Maybe one of the few times they could even say they were happy.

Their brain went on autopilot as they sniffled, only half-focusing on the words being shared, unable to tear their gaze from Juniper. Not until Harper started to speak. The words came through like a haze, but something broke through the mist. Something in particular that Harper said.

"Why give these people a chance to get to you at all?"

Why, indeed?

The nerdy Miku certainly had some sway here. She'd invited the group back in. She'd shown them around. To a certain extent, she was shielding them. But this nerdy Miku was also limited in her abilities. She wasn't the god of this SEKAI any more than Miku Prime was.

If she were truly so powerful, then Miku Prime never would have been able to lock her away in the first place.

There was a semblance of truth to Harper's words.

Why let them continue talking? Why not take action? Here and now.

Why couldn't he just kill them?

...

Perhaps it was because, without Miku Prime, he felt powerless. Perhaps it was because he didn't want to do this in front of Juniper.

Or...perhaps just like that little boy that continued clinging to his parents even after they'd proved time and time again that they would never show him love, that even now he was...

"...Then Harper...let me ask you this. What is it you want me to do? What is it...that you want?"

[colorfuldreamsmkg]

Steeled Conviction || Lau Fei || Trial 5.3 || Re: Harper, Audine, Erika

What? Well, this was news to Lau Fei. Well done. They’d actually managed to get the word out and call for help. What a twist in this narrative! 

“Did you now? Getting the cops involved, huh? Guess that just solidifies my resolve in the end,” Lau Fei sighed. Even if the cops arrived, they were at least still inside a SEKAI. How would the cops get in there? 

But Lau Fei was reliant on their phone battery. Miku Prime could bring them anywhere in the world, but they couldn’t do that alone. There was little time left now, was it?

"...Then my only choice is to die," Lau Fei said it simply. Plainly. "Because what's the alternative? Prison? I'm not exactly sure what the charges would be, but I'm sure it's something that would put me away for a long time. Maybe even my whole life. And what kind of a shit life is that? So that's it then. It's you guys or me."

Lau Fei glanced to Audine. Her efforts were at least admirable. In some ways it was sweet, how hard she was trying. She was so eccentric and odd, but she seemed to have an idea of what she was talking about at times.

"Audine, why should I help any of you?" Lau Fei asked. "What benefit is there to that for me? Even if I were to suddenly betray Miku Prime and help all of you defeat her, I'm not stupid enough to believe that means I'll just be forgiven and you'll let it all go. Even if you were to all lie and say you would, I know people better than you'd think, and I know this ends for me one of two ways, I either die here, or I go to prison for the rest of my life. So why would I just accept that fate lying down? I don't feel any remorse for what I've done. 7 deaths when 150,000 people die every day in the world. A handful of deaths to create something bigger than humanity. Even if all 20 of us were to die here, nothing will happen. The world will keep spinning. Maybe a few people will mourn for a while, but there's nothing anyone here can do to better the world in any meaningful way. At least on their own."

Preaching to the choir here, wasn't he? They were all so indignant and self-absorbed. Did they really believe any one of their lives was worth so much?

"You know, I explained all of this to Erika directly, but instead of bringing up any of the stuff I literally said to her face, she's making things up based on her own perception. You all are."

This was tiring. This was boring. There was nothing anyone could say at this point to convince Lau Fei anyone had something worthwhile to say.

"I do want to make at least one thing clear. This song won't require me to kill Juni. If it really required me to kill all 20 people, I would've backed out at the very beginning. Because Juniper is worth far more to me than that. The only reason I have to kill everyone now is to preserve my own life. I don't think my life is worth more than anyone else's, but I'm a selfish person and don't really care. I still want to live, so I'll do what it takes to make that happen. Obvi."

Lau Fei didn't know why they kept talking. Maybe it was ego. Maybe just still desperately trying to be understood.

"And, like, Miku Prime has lied to me a lot, a lot, a lot, but did you guys maybe ever stop to consider that those sheets of colored paper were literally written to fuck with you all? I mean, come ON, why else would the room be so easy to get into? I didn't write those because they were all my genuine thoughts. Half of them were lies. Have fun figuring it out!"

[colorfuldreamsmkg]

Roundtable Roast || Lau Fei || Trial 5.2 || Re: Ozzy, Suzie, Erika, Harper, Junier || Attn: Harper, Juniper

Despite the anger Lau Fei was feeling towards some recent comments directed towards them, they had to hold it in. If they gave too much away, it would simply make it easy for the group of parasites to make their way through those locks. And, more importantly, realize what it was that truly upset them. And Lau Fei refused to give this group that power over them. 

There was a lot to unpack here, but first and foremost.

"...Ozzy, I think it's about time you sign up for AA. I'm really worried about you now. I think all the alcohol abuse actually rotted your brain. Because I can't believe someone with a fully functioning brain could produce such a stupid argument. Or, I guess, maybe you're so drunk on your hatred for Harper that you just couldn't help yourself? I'm not sure, but you really need help, Ozzy. This isn't healthy."

Lau Fei glanced over to Harper, with a borderline bored expression.

"Harper, are you actually serious about helping these people? Really? Why haven't you given up pretending to be human yet? You're just putting on a mask, and for whose benefit? None of these people actually care about you. They're just using you because it's convenient. Before you saved Erika, did any of these people actually give a fuck about you? No. Of course not. Because you're not palatable enough for them. It's like I always told you. You can't be yourself around people. You have to pretend to be suitable for anyone to give you the bare minimum of decency. Look at this. Even though you've proven yourself time and time over that you're stabbing me in the back despite the pain it causes you, they're still going to find a way to blame you for everything. Can you say that it would be worth it? Think of how they would have treated Alette."

It was nothing but a last ditch effort on their part. Harper had already made up his mind, hadn't he? It was just an exercise of futility to keep trying. 

"And you Erika…sure, you know what? You can believe that if you want. All that crap about punching down and feeling special. Sure. But I do want to make one thing clear. Being an idol is not a 'better life than most.' You think just because we were making money that life was easy? That's an insult to everything Juni suffered through."

They roll their eyes and look over to Suzie.

"And you…"

"Generative AI, huh? …Yeah. Sure. If that's how you wanna look at it. I mean, amounting all of the passion, talent, and love of all your dead friends to computer generated, equating their literal souls to what's soulless, then hey, that's your choice, but that seems pretty cruel to me. Your obsession with roasting me is an insult to their memory, but that doesn't surprise me about any of you. You're all so ingrained in your hatred that you can't see the bigger picture. And that's why you're never getting all of these locks open. It's kind of adorable you all think you can just guess and guess and guess until you get it right. Do you really think Miku Prime will be distracted forever?"

But setting aside their feelings for a moment, it was worth pondering what Juniper and Harper had to say about this new Miku and Miku Prime.

In all honesty, it wasn't something Lau Fei was pleased to hear at all. All this time, Lau Fei had just assumed Miku Prime was the Miku of this SEKAI, but that wasn't the case at all. Something…other. It was made from her dreams too? He didn't know such a thing was possible, and Miku Prime sure as hell hadn't told him. Why bother hiding something that huge?

"...I see."

"I don't know why Miku Prime locked you up, Nerd Miku, but that kinda pisses me off a little. Miku Prime knows how I feel about those who are mine, and this is the second time she's slighted me like this. First, she brought Juniper into this game against my will. And now I'm finding out she locked you up and tormented you? Someone I should've been able to know? That squidward bitch."

Lau Fei scoffed and pushed their bangs back, letting their sheep hat fall back.

"Who the hell does she think she is…? I'm sure she's kept a lot of things from me, and I was okay with it for a while, but she has been pissing me off a bit lately. She made a deal with Harper that put my life on the line without even consulting me too. I've figured out a long time ago that she has no loyalty towards me, and I have no loyalty towards her. But that doesn't matter anymore, right? Juni. You get why I can't stop halfway, don't you? Then all the deaths really would have been for nothing. And…things can never go back to normal after this. See how they all look at me? They're never letting me leave this SEKAI alive. Miku Prime is my only hope now."

[colorfuldreamsmkg]

Surprise, Shawty || Lau Fei || Trial 5.1 || Re: Cecilie || Attn: Everyone

The conversation has only just started, and already something feels...off. Like the static electricity in the air mere seconds before lightning strikes. A feeling of foreboding pressure. The water ripples, so very slightly.

And then a screen switches on. It's not like a TV screen, rather, it's more like a projection flickering on, except it's unclear where it's being projected from. 

"Come on, Cecilie, you can try harder than that!" The voice is teasing and light, full of both whimsy and cruelty. One you weren't expecting to hear again any time soon, yet here Lau Fei is, butting into your conversation. "You guys didn't think I'd just let you have your discussion without any interference, did you?"

Lau Fei's laugh sounds harsh. You'd almost believe he was enjoying this if it wasn't so strained. A laugh hiding frustration underneath. 

"So...go on, Cecilie! The locks aren't gonna open just because you believe with all your heart. You need actual facts, y'know, evidence? Why does it have to be Sapporo, Japan? Why not some place I'd be a little more familiar with? I don't think you'll get in. Not like many of you ever bothered to get to know the real me. And good thing too! Considering how you all talk about me with so much hatred, none of you would've understood me anyway."

"Just Harper and he betrayed me anyway. Not really making a very good case for humanity right now, are you all? Nothing but bitter and hateful. Maybe I would've regret this a little more if any of your lives had been worth saving."

Regardless, Lau Fei's eyes flicker over to Juniper. Lau Fei had been mocking and cruel, but looking at Juniper now, there is, perhaps, a touch of guilt. Of regret. Of sorrow.

"...Hi, Juni. You weren't supposed to find out about any of this. Miku Prime dragged you into this, and I tried my best to get you out, but of course...everyone had to drag you back in. I wish...you could've kept on only seeing the good parts of me. I'm sorry you had to find out like this."

Perhaps there was even some remorse in that. 

They sigh. "By the way, who's that nerdy Miku you all brought with you?"

Does he seriously not know?!