Could this moment last forever?

Semiselective multimuse RP blog, please read pinned post for rules/about ❤️ Written by Tetra ❤️

[tetramulti]

Pinned post ❤️

Hi, Tetra here! This is my multimuse blog, featuring a variety of muses from nintendo, capcom, and original characters as well! Blog tends to favor horror of many kinds, so beware if you don't like that.

MUSELIST

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Please read those before interacting, thank you! ❤️

SIDEBLOG: Follows from @tetrasealion

PERMANENT STARTER CALL

PLOTTED THREAD [Mutuals only]

THREAD WISHLIST

[tetramulti]

Something rings, like a phone. It echoes within the darkness, shrill in tone.

"MY, OH, MY!"

"THAT MUST BE FOR US!"

The Knight rises in the air, drawn to the red droning like a moth to a flame. Oh, angel, my angel, speak to me. I am listening, awaiting your command.

Give me a sign, and it will be done. Your knight is here to serve you and only you.

...

After a short time, the Knight nods. It understands.

The angel's will is to be carried out.

The massive cat stands, stretching a far-too-long spine and too many legs. "I SUPPOSE WE HAVE WORK TO BE DONE, MY FRIEND? I WILL ALERT OUR DEAR PARTNERS IN CRIME. I AM SURE THEY ARE PREPARED FOR ACTION AS WELL, NO?"

There is so much to be done.

How wonderful.

[tetramulti]

Finally. A success.

She pants as she lands, the solar blade dissipating and allowing darkness to swallow this space once again. For just a moment, it looked absolutely stunning with how bright it contrasted against the night sky.

She loved the sunlight now. A warmth that she didn't know she was missing out on. A warmth that proved to be her best asset, cutting through the defenses of this ghoul and leaving streaking burns and shattered weaponry.

She told herself she would try to play support. Did this still count? Was she ever going to be good at anything other than causing pain?

She almost doesn't react to someone patting her head.

She was focused on the enemy, because everyone here was an ally, right? Tune them out. Tune them out, until something pings in her chest and forces her to look over. "Chimizo?"

When... when did he find his way over here...? It's an odd mix of emotions that start popping up. Something somber, something joyful, something distantly angry, even. She blinks up at him blankly for some time, before bumping her head against his arm again. I missed you.

Looking at Vex's state, even between the other combatants... she's conflicted.

He started this, by hurting Chimizo. They lured everyone here for a fight, so they wanted this. She should just... charge up another solar blade and finish this, but... she also sees how badly they're fighting themselves not to hurt the others as badly as they seemed to want to. two different voices... one didn't seem to want any of this. He had to listen, it seemed.

You understand that just fine, don't you?

She wished she could ask what was going on. Briefly, she wonders if this was how some of the others felt when fighting her previously. Just a beast, forced to keep fighting, even when...

...She could just... abide by the obvious wish of the hesitant half, and use solar blade again. She could just finish this, but...

Even at your worst, nobody ever tried to put you out of your obvious misery, out of mercy. Wasn't it right to try and extend the same mercy...?

She hates this. Nothing here is straightforward. It's not like someone pointing a finger and telling her to get rid of a target, just for her to return afterwards and feel nothing. No, this was a mirror image of herself, and so much of it made her angry. She knows the half that is trying to be nice deserves mercy, but he's stuck with someone who wants nothing more than to kill all of them. Forced to fight, even when begging for the opposite.

Still so familiar, isn't it?

You still see those elevator doors in your mind sometimes.

[tetramulti]

He's grumbling incredibly loudly in his mansion's lab. Looking at the container where the cursed sword once sat.

"...Stupid... floating JERK... that sword should have been MINE."

He could make another one... as soon as Samuel got him enough cursed items, that is.

"And WHY was I not invited to that GHOST SHOWDOWN-!?" He has no idea what he's talking about, nor does he realize he does not, in fact, want anything to do with what's going on with Vex and the others.

[tetramulti]

Confuse ray had fallen horribly flat, just the same as Shadow Ball. Crushed, to be accurate. Well, she's almost out of ideas now, isn't she? No, no, she's come back from worse. You were made for this, you just have to get it together-

Why is it so dark.

This isolating darkness was her schtick, her side effect of confuse ray. Did... did they reflect the-

She can't move.

Why can't she move.

< Imprudent pup. My mind’s eyes cannot be deceived by illusions as brittle as yours. You are a disappointment to those who bestowed life unto you. >

...A... disappointment. To those who bestowed her life. If it were any other point in her time alive, maybe it would have hurt more. Stung at the incessant need to be the perfect weapon, to be the best possible subject... but now, the statement made her angry for an entirely separate reason.

I don't live for THEM anymore. I live for MYSELF. I live for everyone that's ever cared about me as an individual, not a damn weapon!

When the shadowy formes that she's come to know far too well materialize next to Vex, she's ready. She'll finish what she started, she'll get rid of both of you once and for-

...

...She still can't move.

Her body is seized up, just like how it used to when she would get angry and senseless enough to try and attack that woman. It just

wouldn't

move.

When they got closer, she could feel the pressure of something thin and red, still tucked into her mane. She could feel an unrevealed strength threatening to push up, one set of claws threatening to flex and let it out-

Until Death swooped in to save her. Her body suddenly un-tensed, and she got back into a proper fighting stance. His words made her irritated, to no fault of his own. Maybe she should have chosen leech seed or thunder wave, actually. Maybe those could have offered some kind of assistance!

God damn it, you really are useless here, aren't you? Not even one hit has landed, and it seems as though she's gotten in the way of danger more than anything else. So much for trying to help everyone else.

Wh...what is that noise. It sounds like someone spamming some kind of light-based attack repeatedly...? Oh, she needs to get the fuck out of here RIGHT NOW.

She's left to zigzag between pillars of magic (some kind of spade shape...?) in an attempt to dodge out of the way. She clearly needs some more time to strategize and think about this more, so she's gonna take the time to back off and let others have their attempts at attacking the specter.

She watches the massive robot (how does that fit in here?) ram towards the specter, going and going and firing that massive cannon. Nothing is gonna come of it, she's sure of it, it's gonna end up being-

...

Hit.

The cannon connected. It cracked the gem further.

So. They really do require an approach of massive power, do they? Fair enough.

Starlight is gathering.

[emptyzone]

@tetramulti asked:

A very familiar pair of eyes fades into view from within the shadows, a wide smile following. "I SEE YOUR DELIBERATION OF OPENING A DARK FOUNTAIN. DO NOT WORRY... THE TIME IS NOT YET. HOWEVER, I MUST ASK... ARE YOU TRULY THIS HESITANT TO DO SO? IT IS MUCH EASIER THAN ONE WOULD THINK." "AND IF YOU REQUIRE ATTENTION TO BE DIRECTED ELSEWHERE TO DO SO... LET ME KNOW. I HAVE MY WAYS." Maybe it wanted the chaos, maybe it wanted to see what could come of Man's dark world. Who can really tell?

An inevitability. Smart man, he is. He understands that.

Eyes gradually glance up at the other. Part of him... Can't be too surprised that it know about his deliberation. Of course it would know. It had to know what he knew, right? Words on a screen. Fingers, typing away. The dull glow of a computer monitor. Man lets out a gentle sigh, remaining sat in the kitchen chair.

"Making one on Empty Zone would be too obvious, is what I was thinking. Jae has a ton of friends who'd immediately swarm it the second they realize what's going on. One of them is bound to have a soul that could just. Get rid of it, immediately. And..." A somber relent, "I... Would get caught immediately, knowing my luck. What happens, then..?"

I don't exactly want to be the villain here. I just want to get stronger, and have the ability to alter scenarios in my favor.

"And what if the 'end of the world' really does happen, the second I open it up? I can't have that on my head." He looks down at his glass of water, "... That's exactly what I've become stronger to be against, right? The ability to stop Jae from getting into said 'end of the world' situations? To be able to stop it, before it even starts..?"

That's what was holding him back, after learning of a potential concequence. An imprint of someone else. Miis are especially adaptable to their environments. They tend to subtly (or not subtly, in Omino's case) take in a few traits from those around them.

[tetramulti]

FRIEND knows, trust it. It knows that creating a dark fountain is no small task. It knows that this entire little plan could go sideways at the drop of a hat. Not to mention... the false angel was now around, making things more complicated.

"HMM. I SUPPOSE I DO NOT HAVE TO FILL YOU IN ON OUR PRIMARY OBSTACLE HERE, NO? THE... AH, ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM, SO TO SAY. IT MAY BE IN TUNE WITH DARK WORLDS... BUT IT IS RATHER DULL, IF I MAY SAY. OUR OBJECTIVE SHOULD SUCCEED LONGER, SHOULD WE KEEP IT DISTRACTED ELSEWHERE. THE OTHERS... THEY WILL NOT KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY SEAL A FOUNTAIN."

"...HOWEVER, YOUR OTHER CONCERNS ARE VALID, AS WELL. SHOULD SOMEONE SEE YOU OPENING A DARK FOUNTAIN, THINGS WILL GET RATHER NASTY FOR YOU. I WOULD HATE TO SEE THINGS BECOME NEEDLESSLY COMPLEX FOR YOU. WE HAVE CERTAIN LOCATIONS OF INTEREST IN MIND THAT MAY HELP HONE YOUR TRAINING FURTHER, SHOULD YOU BE INTERESTED. AS FOR THE END OF THE WORLD... I AM AFRAID THAT THE FALSE ANGEL, ONCE AGAIN, MISLEADS."

Paws cross in front of the cat, as if in a formal business meeting. "THE FALSE ANGEL REJECTS THE PROPHECY, YOU SEE. IT REFUSES THE ANGEL'S HEAVEN; THE ONE THAT WOULD LEAD TO THE BETTER WORLD. THE PRINCE AND THE DRAGON IT WALKS ALONGSIDE... PERHAPS THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY ARE REJECTING. PERHAPS THE PRINCE HAS HIS REASONS FOR WITHHOLDING THE TRUTH, FROM THE SOUL AND FROM EVERYONE ELSE. I PROMISE YOU... THIS WORLD IS STILL THE IDEAL ONE FOR YOU AND YOUR SISTER. YOU NEED NOT CONCERN YOURSELF WITH THE FALSE ANGEL, MAN."

"DO NOT WORRY. WHEN THE TIME COMES, WE WILL HAVE AN ADEQUATE DISTRACTION, FOR ALL OF THEM. ONE THAT WILL KEEP YOUR SISTER'S ATTENTION ELSEWHERE AS WELL. I PROP MYSELF UP AS THE CAUSE OF ALL OF THIS, THUS, THEY ARE NOT LIKELY TO LOOK AT YOU. AFTER ALL... WHY LOOK ELSEWHERE, WHEN YOU KNOW WHO THE CULPRIT IS? YOU NEED NOT WORRY ABOUT BEING CAUGHT. THEY BLAME ME, AS IT SHOULD BE."

[tetramulti]

...Well, shadow ball was a bust.

Bitter Fox lets out a sharp yelp when one of those starlight beams grazes her flank as she retreats. Her attack was one of the first, and... maybe she shouldn't have rushed before seeing more of the enemy's capabilities, and yet...

Had. Anyone. Laid a lasting wound on them yet. Because from where she was sitting, everything was either being deflected or healing itself. This... wasn't going to work. Previous warnings of entrapment briefly ring in her head as she tries to re-strategize. She's not going to give up, no, but... they all need a new idea.

Bitter Fox blinks silently, watching more of the combatants. Someone was tossed aside like a ragdoll, someone else had tried to negotiate to leave, lasers went flying, and-

A familiar voice and face was calling out to the ghost, as if trying to reach a friend. She squints in confusion at Pierre, watching the exchange. The... the specter almost seemed... split. As if it wasn't just one person, but... She shakes her head, one paw rubbing at the small trickle of blood coming from her flank wound.

This ghost, whoever it was, had hurt Chimizo. That was enough to make her retaliate, and yet... Pierre was trying to get through. The ghost had tried to get the painter to leave. They had even snapped at that other trio to get away before they were hurt. There was something more happening here, but the pieces just... weren't connecting yet. Whatever it was... it was enough to make her reconsider the lethal force that she was trained to use.

Fine. She'll readjust for support. She's got some new ideas, anyway.

[tetramulti]

I feel the need to express that if you've ever been nice to Bitter Fox, you have gained an extremely homicidal guard dog.

She will throttle your enemies and it's only sort of negotiable.

[tetramulti]

You might be wondering why. It knows someone is, and it knows that there was a quite simple reason.

Every story has a villain.

If FRIEND offers itself up as the villain of the story, it becomes the target. Everyone is too focused on it to look elsewhere, simply CONVINCED that they've solved it all. Why would they bother looking for anyone else, if they already know who the culprit is, after all?

It's propped itself up as someone who knows much about the fountains, much about the dark worlds... and that SOUL had limited information as well, thanks to a certain prince who was reluctant to share more. Ha! You've given it an edge, and you have no idea, sweet little prince. Even that fool of a SOUL said too much, and ended up only giving everyone ideas.

So be it. It loves acting as the big bad villain in the spotlight, anyway. If one of them needs a distraction, it can just pop back in, and have everyone's attention. It has a list going, anyway.

...Oh, did you think it would say any of that out loud? Get over yourself. The ones who need to hear it will know. Everything has been one calculated move right after the other, and it won't offer an advantage to anyone else.

[tetramulti]

Titanspawn claw at the space, groaning in hunger as SOUL continues the climb.

You think this is gonna slow me down, buddy? You think this is gonna stop me? I'm going to KEEP going, until I win, because people are going to get hurt if I falter!

They leap off of the wall just as darkness clamps down, taking off across a horizontal surface to search out a new ledge to continue the climb. Things like overturned desks and random scattered chairs serve as obstacles for the much-less mobile titanspawn as SOUL leaps up and around, back to the climb.

A gap of pure darkness within the stone blinks open, and SOUL shines a light into it. The titan lets out a droning groan of pain, the tower of stone crumbling further from the hatching titan's struggles.

Even when massive stone blocks threaten to crush their form,

They condense and keep moving. They can't stop now.

Reforming away from the hazard, they continue the climb.

They're high enough now that they swear they can see the entry to the fountain. The light of the sun is swallowed up in the face of the beast of darkness hatching within. The fountain was expanding. Any further, and...

SOUL reaches the top at last, hopping up with minimal fanfare. A familiar black fog chokes out everything else, and they know that the time has come.

They know that the final showdown is upon them.

They know that they, alone, stand between the titan and the outside world.

They, alone, must prevent the roaring.

A shape moves within the fog, wings spreading to uncover a shining star at the center of a monster's face. They aren't scared this time, even if alone. They know how to defeat this titan.

*Darkness constricts you! TP reduced outside of-

No, not this time. They won't let anything stand between them and this titan's demise.

*Your soul shines with pure determination! The shadows have been cut away!

SOUL points their blade at the titan.

*You roar into the darkness in defiance. You won't fall here.

*You refuse.

*It doesn't matter how many times you have to start over.

Their blade slashes away at the false titan's magic, harvesting more TP.

*Susie's face flashes into your mind. Ralsei's face flashes into your mind. Every friend back home in castle town comes to mind, all at once.

*And it fills you

*with

*DETERMINATION.

The sheer amount of determination that SOUL felt in that moment, powered by all of the friends that they refused to let down... the anger that came from FRIEND daring to try and kill them like this... the desire to keep living, and to help everyone else keep living...

*TP will now increase twice as fast!

Their soul shines brighter as they continue slashing their weapon.

Everyone they've met... everyone they've spoken to... everyone they've ever considered a friend... everyone they've invited to castle town... every lost, scared memory fragment they met in this place... Artie...

It doesn't matter how many tries it takes, I won't let the roaring start like this.

SOUL was continually shining with that light; red, white, and green tearing away at the titan's defenses as they continued their fight. A neverending call-and-response, a deadly tango of sorts.

*You say that refuse to fall here. The titan's hands move once again.

The titan attempts to crush them within clawed hands, the light of their soul burning away at darkness. Their TP climbs and climbs, until...

*R E V E A L .

The light burns brightly enough that the dark world is briefly illuminated, back into the form of a dilapidated underground lab- no darkners, no platform, just the soul and the dying titan. And once those defenses were down...

The PreciseSword is slashed repeatedly, as if someone somewhere else were spamming the attack button. Attack after attack, impossibly fast and performed against the titan's vulnerable state. Even as they see the titan attempting to hide itself to reform, SOUL doesn't allow it that moment to breathe.

*You know it's not the titan's fault for being born... but you have friends to protect, and this titan wants nothing more than to destroy it all.

SOUL leaps within the titan's face, descending into suffocating darkness. Something like tears prickle at their eyes as their soul lights up again, the final nail in the coffin that seals away the beast, skin tearing open as light shreds what is left of it.

*You did this alongside Susie once before. You hope she's not worried about you.

When the light fades, the titan is gone. They take that moment to breathe after that exhausting fight. FRIEND wouldn't be here, not in the face of a still-shining soul. They stand, looking just over the ledge once again and into the source of the darkness itself.

...It was time to close the fountain. It was time to end all of this.

One final light shines, and the fountain is expelled.

The sky returns to normal once again.

[tetramulti]

Further into the depths.

Deep, deeper, yet deeper, SOUL progresses. The darkness was suffocating by this point, and yet, the light within their soul continued to shine.

A protective field against the beasts that lay within deepest dark.

With every step, a ring of light echoed, illuminating the otherwise hidden beasts of darkness and driving them back. Any who drew too close were whacked away with the blunt end of the PreciseSword. They could see the layout of the lowest floors just fine.

...They could sense the expansion of the darkness above. They needed to hurry and close this fountain.

They're glad no one else has to deal with this place. No one else would be nearly as equipped for it. Someone less prepared would be...

"EATEN ALIVE?"

The rushing wind and the explosion of static are the only warnings SOUL gets, whipping backwards and letting the beast of darkness taste the steel blade. It laughs.

The blade has been swallowed up to the hilt within the beast's body, and it laughs. That laugh is quickly cut off as SOUL shines light at it, leaving it to scramble backwards off of their sword. Pink and yellow specs shine within an iridescent puddle of pitch black blood.

*You ask it what it wants. You refuse to let the blade fall from your hands.

"AWW, YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GIVE ME THE SAME COURTESY YOU GIVE OTHER ENCOUNTERS, FALSE ANGEL?" It puts one digit on the end of the blade, as if testing the waters. SOUL slashes at it.

*You say you know it's evil. You say you know what it tried to do to Gameshow Host. You say you know what it did to Wesker. You know it's evil.

"HOW REDUCTIVE. TO BE EXPECTED OF YOU, FALSE ANGEL. AFTER ALL... IT WAS YOU WHO HAS FORSAKEN THE PROPHECY. IT WAS YOU WHO CHOOSES TO LEAD OTHERS ASTRAY. QUITE SHAMEFUL OF YOU."

*You say that you haven't forsaken anything. You say that you take on these adventures to help others.

"AND LOOK WHERE IT HAS LED YOU. NOWHERE GOOD, THAT IS FOR CERTAIN! IT HAS LED YOU HERE, AFTER ALL!"

SOUL blinks. This was the deepest level of this dark world, so... the final encounter would happen soon, right? Was FRIEND the final encounter?

"IS THAT WHAT YOU THINK, FALSE ANGEL?"

...They forgot it could also read the narration. Damn it.

"SAY, FALSE ANGEL... I GROW TIRED OF THESE GAMES, YOU KNOW. YOU CONTINUE TO GET IN THE WAY... YOU KNOW FAR TOO MUCH. TRULY, YOU ARE A HAZARD TO OUR PLAN, SHOULD YOU CONTINUE TO STAY AROUND. I DO APOLOGIZE... BUT, I DO NOT MEAN IT, UNFORTUNATELY!" A sharpened tail thrashes, "TRULY, I WAS SENT HERE AS ONE LAST RESORT. YOU ARE... QUITE ADAPTABLE, EVEN ALONE! THUS... I BID YOU ADIEU!"

A tail stabs into the ground, a familiar trail of stars following it. SOUL freezes as the blinding blue light explodes upwards, turning to stone.

And then

A limb emerges.

FRIEND vanishes into the darkness as the rumbling and horrible screechings of the newly-born titan fill the air, titanspawn forming from the advanced darkness...

It doesn't matter.

I started this, I'm going to finish it.

[tetramulti]

A sword is gripped tighter in barely-concealed rage.

Of course the false angel was crafty enough to figure this world out. Of course it could figure all of this out solo. Of fucking course it could.

"DO YOU THINK IT COULD STAND UP TO ONE OR MORE OF YOUR LITTLE KNIGHT FRIENDS IN ADDITION TO YOU?"

"NOT... ASKING... FOR HELP... FROM... THEM."

"AH, I SEE... YOU WILL HAVE TO GET VERY CREATIVE FOR OUR CRAFTY LITTLE FALSE ANGEL, WON'T YOU? PERHAPS, I COULD..."

"DISTRACTION... IS NOT NEEDED... AT PRESENT. LET US SEE... HOW IT... HANDLES... THE DEPTHS."

"YOU KNOW IT WILL TACKLE EVERYTHING THE SAME WAY IT PREVIOUSLY HAS, YES? I DO NOT SEE HOW THINGS COULD CHANGE AT PRESENT. IT IS NOT BEING SLOWED DOWN, MY FRIEND."

The Knight lifts a clawed hand to its helmet in contemplation. The false angel was adapting quite well on this solo adventure, what could they possibly throw at it to buy more time? The Knight knows it's investigating. The soul is not stupid, contrary to displayed behavior, so it would only be a matter of time until it connects the dots.

...Hmm. Come to think of it...

...There was one idea that remained.

"...I SEE. SHALL I BEGIN PREPARATIONS?"

"YES."

[tetramulti]

This building never seemed to end.

How big was it before? If a closet could become a town, and a computer lab could become a city, then... something as big as this place seemed like an entire country. Hell, they've seen a lot of different buildings so far!

...All empty, or full of monsters, but still. The sheer size of this dark world spoke to an expansive light world counterpart.

...And now, there's a theater of some kind. Empty seats and all! An unmanned concession stand! A screen playing some kind of cartoon that appears to resemble Spongebob, upon further inspection. The quality is low, and part of the screen appears to be damaged, lines running through the image and jumping around to discolor the screen.

They blink at the cartoon. Another door is off to the side. SOUL tilts their head and looks at it, watching it play for some time.

"...My! My! Is that an audience member I see!? Am I finally not alone any longer!?"

The cartoon paused as a jovial voice boomed out, "It's been so quiet! So lonely! No lightners, watching my shows! But now, look! Look, now! One single audience member!"

SOUL can't see where the voice was coming from. They squint in confusion. Why does this seem familiar...?

*You ask if Artie is the one speaking.

"That's me! Artie, the master of the theater! Say, do you like cartoons? Shows? Movies? News, maybe?"

*You say that you can't stay. You say that you have to close the fountain.

"Wh-Wha-!? Fountain!? Why worry about something like that!? You can stay with me! You can stay with the others! It'll be fun! A theater full of lightners, all enjoying the show!"

*You point out the empty theater.

"N-Now, that's just rude-"

*You say that there are no lightners down here. They're memory fragments.

"W-Well, that might be true, b-but-!"

*You say that the fountain staying open would endanger the lightners on the surface. You reiterate the need to close it.

A silence falls over the room for a considerable amount of time. SOUL glances around, still looking for the source of the voice. Nobody was in the seats, and the voice couldn't have come from the concession stand...

...So that left the stage itself. They step closer, investigating the screen.

"H-Hey now, no need for that-! Let's just sit and enjoy the show-!"

The voice was definitely coming from over here. They tap the screen, noting that it seemed a little too... thin. Their eyes lift next to the curtains framing the sides. They grip the blue fabric-

"W-WAIT-!"

-And pull, stepping through. Wires lined the walls and floors...

"D-DON'T DO THAT-! DON'T COME CLOSER-!"

...Leading up to the CRT's real body.

"D-Don't, um... m-mind the man... behind the curtain...?" Artie lets out a nervous laugh before sighing, "...Sorry. I didn't want anyone to see me like... this."

...No wonder he didn't want them to look.

He was only halfway there.

*You shut the curtains behind you. You ask him what happened.

"O-Oh, me...? You... want my story, huh...?"

*You say you've met someone a lot like him. You say that Tenna is much less damaged than Artie currently is. You're wondering why.

"Ah, another TV...? Oh... I see. Ah, well, this place, it... it's not a very good place, you see... it... it hurts people. A lot."

*You know. You've seen the memory fragments.

Artie deflates, "O-Oh... so, it really isn't them, huh...? Hah... a-are they ever coming back...?"

*You don't know how to answer that. You don't know what happened to any of them. You don't remember seeing any lightners on the way here.

"Oh... they... I miss them."

*You ask what happened again.

"Ah-! So sorry-! I... I don't know for sure, hah. They were here, and then there were less and less of them, and then that monster happened, a-and then... I was alone. When the fountain opened, everyone... um, sort of... came back...? I don't know..."

*You ask for clarification about the monster.

"The monster... it was called Revenent, officially, I think. Everyone avoided it, but then they started vanishing faster than usual. And then it went on a rampage! So much noise, everything shook...! It was horrifying!"

*You ask about the audience.

"Oh, my audience... a fine and colorful bunch...! But, see, remember what I said about this place hurting people...? It's horrible! They would come back tired, in pain, or maybe even not at all! They would vanish sometimes and get replaced, but... no, they were vanishing too fast! Not being replaced! And then, no one returned!"

SOUL isn't quite sure what to do with all of that information.

*You ask about Artie. You ask what else he's seen.

"Oh, far too much, I fear. See... I... used to be used in the labs, you see. They connected my screen to computers and equipment to conduct their tests, to display whatever they needed. I've seen... many things. Many things that I never wanted to see... but then came that horrible day! The day that they cracked my casing!" He points at a crack in the plastic siding, "Oh, I was doomed! Completely and horribly doomed! But then... one of the scientists fished me out of the trash pile!"

SOUL tilts their head in confusion, but does not interrupt.

"See, it was no scientist at all! It was the trickiest subject, Taro! They took me out, fixed me up, and wired me up to become a regular TV again! I was so confused at first to be recycled like that, but... it was more fun! To be a showmaster! Even if I was broken, they still loved me! They cared! And soon, I cared, too!"

"...But, that was a horrible thing, really. Like I mentioned before... they kept vanishing! And the horrible part... I knew exactly where they went! I knew exactly what happened! Oh, funny little creature, you! I've mourned so many times for so many lives! It's unfair! It's all horribly unfair!"

...Ah. They never did quite guess just how badly a situation like this could mess someone up. Taro... that name was too familiar, but it still escaped them at present.

"And now, I rot down here, all alone. I know no one wants a broken TV like me, but my goodness...! Don't let me fade away like THIS...!"

*You say that you still have to close the fountain. You offer to bring Artie to castle town.

"...A...place full of other darkners...? I... suppose I could stay until someone who wants to fix me comes along...?"

*You say he could stay as long as he wanted, if at all.

"Very well! I'll accept your offer! It sounds fantastic, after all! Maybe you could find those subjects for me, too! Wish them well from an old friend!"

...Is he in denial about where he knows they went...?

*You agree to look. You say you have to get back to your adventure now, though.

"How wonderful...! Oh-! Don't forget to stock up at the concession stand! It's quite wild out there, after all!"

They step out of the curtains. SOUL refreshes their healing items, storing others for later.

...They can't help but notice the sudden appearance of a SAVEpoint.

[tetramulti]

SOUL blinks up at the doorway just inside the hall.

Something about it resonated in a familiar way. Someone was waiting inside, and it would be rude to keep a friend waiting, right?

They push through the door.

Darkness lines the pathway they walk, leaves descending past them as they approach a single tree. The red leaves fall rhythmically, black bark just barely disguising the form of the man behind it.

Try as they might,

they've never seen him.

*You greet the forgotten man. You ask him if he has any gifts for you.

*The man seems surprised to see you. He could have sworn he told you not to look for him again... or was that someone else?

*You tell him you've kept the other eggs safe.

*He looks horrified for a moment. He shakes his head sadly. He tells you that you seem unsure of what you are attracting.

*You ask for clarification.

*He gives you none. Instead, he pushes something else into your hand. You received one FORGOTTEN TEA. He encourages you to drink it.

*You lift the drink. He tells you that you may understand soon.

*You ask f

SOUL lets out a horrible screech of pain when their files are suddenly accessed, something plugging in and rummaging around. Someone is adding something new. Someone is blocking the attempt.

OPENDATA:// FILES -> OPEN DIRECTORY :// GAMEFILE -> SAVESTATE A

[ERR: ADMIN RESTRICTION: YOU DO NOT HAVE PERMISSION TO ALTER THIS FILE.]

OPENDATA:// FILES -> CREATENEW -> COPYOF SAVESTATE A

[ERR: ADMIN RESTRICTION: ACTION DENIED.]

[SYSADMIN MSG: STOP IT. NOW. YOU ARE FRAYING THE CONNECTION.]

[SYSADMIN2 MSG: IT WILL NEED TO KNOW. YOU ARE HINDERING PROGRESS. YOU ARE LEAVING IT DEFENSELESS.]

All of these words fly past its eyes faster than it can read. Data frays and becomes disorganized. It grips the sides of its head and screams louder as a burning, overheating sensation lights up the back of the SOUL's head.

[ERR:// CONNECTION FAILING.]

Images are flashing, and files are being altered, data being injected before being rapidly restored back to the original state. Two different forces, both fighting for control, and SOUL can't do a thing to stop any of it.

[SYSADMIN:// ACTION -> UNDO -> ITEMID: 666.344]

All at once, everything is finally quiet.

[SYSADMIN:// ACTION -> RESTOREBACKUP ID: 05.07.10.26]

SOUL's body un-tenses as everything was restored. He... let them keep the memory of what happened. Likely as a warning.

The man was gone, and somehow, the air holds an energy of regret.

He didn't mean to hurt me. He didn't know what would happen. He just wanted to help.

...They turn and leave. There was nothing left to do here. Shakily, they exit the egg room, feeling as though nothing of substance was learned.

[tetramulti]

Paws touch down in unknown space.

Bitter Fox can't see anyone yet, and that was... mostly okay. She'd have preferred being able to see Chimizo, at the least, but... well, clearly that wasn't going to happen.

Whatever.

She can see you just fine, Vex.

She's focused on her target. An analytical mind kicks into overdrive, taking note of everything- the icethrower, the shield, the claws, all of his weapons, his sheer size. She was trained for this. She was trained to take in everything at a second's glance, to analyze for a weakness.

Certain weaponry would only be able to be used at a distance, and yet, the shield and those claws would deal with close quarters.

...Once she snaps out of her analysis, she realizes that others had also followed. She was... less familiar with working collaboratively with someone other than her sibling. Good thing she had also been trained in adapting on a dime. She's taking note of her moves again, remembering how they synergize with other moves, and nodding to herself. She'll just have to see how they synergize with everyone else's moves, right?

Something thin and red in her mane is rolled tighter and tucked further for safekeeping. For later, she reminds herself, not yet.

On all fours, she bounds into battle.

[tetramulti]

...Further into the depths they press.

The darkners of this world had begun to calm down around them, finally understanding that SOUL wasn't a threat... they were unsure why this change was happening all of the sudden, but they admitted they were glad to have the break from the constant battles.

It was almost surreal to have a world with no object-based darkners. No, all of these objects were just translated into weaponry, armor, and the sparse bit of food items here and there.

Precise sword, flowing cape, white scarf, absorb lance, bitter pellets...

...Something about the items seemed to click something in their head, and yet... they probably wouldn't make any connections until all of this was over. Typical of everything, really. Just on the edge of their mind, just out of reach...

...But they were certain of one thing by now: Nothing good had ever come of this place. Dark fountains, regardless of who made them, tended to always reflect the memories of those who occupied the place. For none of the items to come to life indicated that no one was happy and content enough to play with any of them, and for the memory darkners to be upset only solidified such a theory.

They had to wonder if anyone could tell them more about this place once they got back. For now, they just... had to focus on closing the fountain!

...If they could just get past all of these FUCKING darned puzzles!

They didn't want to cuss in front of that younger rabbit-like darkner girl over there. Sorry. Thankfully, she can't read the narration.

"Um, usually... you have to use a card to get through these doors..."

*You ask what was beyond these doors.

"Oh, those are the subject rooms...! None of us have been able to get past the door to go visit Artie... I think he must be lonely by now... worried about us..."

...Subject rooms. SOUL squints. Oh, so that's what's happening here. They had their suspicions before, but now... is that where Wesker fits into all of this? Was this one of his facilities, or were they mistaken? Was he involved in this, somehow?

If so...

Where was everyone? The employees? The guards? Why were these mere memory darkners, rather than living lightner subjects?

"I wish Taro was here. They always knew how to get past these doors... maybe you could ask them for tips if you see them again?"

...Taro... why was that name familiar...? Fuck, they wished they could do more research before jumping into this place...

*You ask if Taro was a fellow subject.

"They are! They're funny, they're always sneaking around! They have funny illusion abilities that they use to trick the guards... but sometimes, they get caught. And they..." She stops herself abruptly. SOUL decides against asking for more details. "...Well, anyway... I think this door is gonna stay locked unless you find a key. I think there's one in the guard station...?"

SOUL turns their head, looking in the direction of yet another puzzle room. ME HATE PUZZLES- sorry, slipped out. They're just very tired of the amount of puzzles in this dark world now. And yet... here they go, solving more puzzles, all for the sake of advancing further along.

Make no mistake, that SOUL is ABSOLUTELY stomping along and fuming as they do.

Several attempts later... they've finally secured the key. Ever tried to solve a clock puzzle designed for three people completely solo? Yeah.

They swipe the key card (a plastic card shaped like a key) in the slot a little too fast in their anger, being forced to re-swipe it slower before the door opens up properly. The rabbit darkner cheers as the doors swing open and-

Splats them directly against the wall. Why did it open so forcefully-!?

"Thank you so much for your help! Please, come in! You can rest here, it's safe... a-and I think Artie will enjoy having a new audience member...! So please come say hi to him! Come see Artie!"

...You know what? A checkpoint would be great right about now, actually. Another shop too, while we're at it-

[tetramulti]

This fountain's quality was unlike anything it's ever encountered.

To say that SOUL was struggling amidst it all would be... a severe understatement.

They're desperately ducking and dodging around darkners who seemed to refuse to listen to anything they said. Almost any suggestion given in battle was ignored, and they've had to reset... good lord, how many times now?

The darkners of this particular world were of an odd quality, too.

All of them upon entering the battle appeared to have only half of their HP at most. They spoke in ways that, if not for the UI, would never have been decoded as morse code or backwards text.

And all of them were calling for help.

None of them listened when SOUL tried to explain that they weren't here to fight. No, they'd rather just keep attacking. Several times had their soul hovered over the FIGHT option, but... had hesitated, cycling back to try and reason with the hurt and terrified darkners.

That didn't even include their appearances. The darkners were often greyed-out, covered in bandages or missing limbs. They didn't appear to have any kind of object equivalent, meaning they were... well, not physical.

They were memories. Fear given life, just like the titan spawn.

What was this place? What happened here to cause distress to come to life like this? Could they be reasoned with? Or... was this another one of those unavoidable fights?

Their arms reach in front of them to block another flurry of cuts, all done with a surgical precision from one of those memory darkners. It lets out a horrible scream.

.-- …. -.-- / -.-. .- -. - / -.-- --- ..- / .-.. . .- …- . / ..- … / .- .-.. --- -. .

They kept gathering TP. They didn't know what else to do. SOUL knows it's horribly distressed at their presence, but why wouldn't it just... listen? What were they doing wrong? Fuck, just... think! You're never getting past the first room like this! Just focus!

They hover back over the act button. Their HP is low, but they'll clearly need to save their healing items. They... oh!

*Reveal.

The option suddenly appears, as if someone heard their frustrations. Without a second to think, they slam their soul into the option.

A brilliant light fills the battle box, the darkner squealing and recoiling backwards. Yes, finally! Some kind of strategy! They just-

Oh.

Standing across from them now is a calmer-looking version of the darkner they just faced. Still anxious, but not looking ready to fight, they stood. It seems as though you revealed your SOUL, and it was enough to break through to his heart.

*You greet the opposing darkner. You ask him what was wrong?

"Y-You... who are you...? What are you doing here?"

*You tell him your name. You say you are here to close the fountain. You say that it can't stay open, or something bad will happen.

"...Oh... what... what is a fountain...? Oh, nevermind." The far-too-tall man shakes his head, "It's not like anything worse could happen. It already has."

*You ask for clarification. What happened to him? What happened in this place?

He freezes. "...You shouldn't be here. No one should. Never again. You should save yourself while you can. That... that monster... all of them, they..."

*You try to press for clarification again. You ask if he needs help. You notice how hard he's shaking.

He shakes his head. He refuses to speak again. He hugs himself, lowering to the floor.

SOUL spares him. There was no other way forward. He fades, as opposed to being recruited. Sad, maybe he could have enjoyed castle town... oh, well, not every meeting bears a forever friend, they supposed.

At least they knew how to deal with these darkners now, but...

...What on earth happened here...?