CYOA: A-Qing, Kotetsu, Nero

[grigori]

(a-qing voice) WHAT THE FUCK

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SWUNG BLIND AND BLACKENING IN THE MOONLESS AIR

[grigori]

[ were you having a good day? enjoying the local festivities?

what a shame to say that you won't be doing that any longer. the bright, bustling castle town disappears in a blink, the autumn breeze but a whisper already fading from your ears. where you've gone, there is no trace of sunlight, only a dull, purplish glow coming from some muddled, distant source.

you are alone, save your daemon and two others standing in the midst of a dark, shadowy fog. the area is vast, yet somehow stifling in the gloom. faint sounds echo from all around - a muffled growl; quiet, nimble footsteps making their way over the rubble littering the distant skittering; the muted laughter of children and adults alike, and for a moment, some of them sound familiar - but the sources are impossible to pin down, as if the fog obscures not just light, but anything and everything within its reach.

you've been warned not to come, but there is nothing to be done now. take a moment, get your bearings, as the disquiet settles into your bones, urging you to move, to go, somewhere, anywhere.

lost souls, welcome to the miasma. ]

[perfectdistance]

[Nero hasn't had a good day since this competition began. Disce loops around Nero's shoulders before leaping onto his shoulder, tail swishing back and forth as they orient themselves to the newest location.]

... Didn't think this would happen a second time.

[sponsoredby]

Same... but with how many people there are going... I'm also not that surprised.

[ He sighs, Finley pacing back and forth behind him in her tiger form. Both tigers are obviously a bit tense. ]

I'd say we have to be careful, but I'm not sure if we've got that option.

[taptap]

[ the real question is does a-qing know what happened? you ding dangs are so rude to the vision impared...!

either way she's just scooting closer to Kotetsu because UUUUUUUH HELLO? it's not comfort week anymore so she doesn't latch on but cōng ming meows in distress for her anyway ]

What happened? What do you mean?

[perfectdistance]

We ended up somewhere else. Like those adventures that sometimes happen to people.

We're in a dark, shadowy fog and it feels... Gloomy. Weird purple glow, don't know where it's coming from. Don't think we should be here.

[sponsoredby]

Probably not.

[ he looks at a-qing.]

It might be safer if you hold my hand, since we're don't know what might happen.

[ and he'd be able to grab her more easily if something happened... ]

[taptap]

[ her hand will reach out for him because honestly, what the fuck round 284827. ]

I don't like it...! Why would A-Qing be taken here too!?

[ so much for getting a pass for being blind as a mouse?? ]

[grigori]

[ cyoas care not for physical impairments. they're egalitarian.

you might want to keep hold of a-qing, because the area you're in is a disaster zone. judging from the elaborate patterned flooring beneath your feet, there must have a grand building here, but now there are only the shambles of what once was. the flooring itself - dusty and uneven. better watch your step, and a-qing's while you're at it.

as nero and kotetsu's eyesight adjusts to the murky darkness, you'll find the remnants of civilization. broken columns and dead trees tower over you. shadows of decrepit homes surround you, windows broken and roofs caved in. distantly, you hear something collapse, and the fog seems to shudder in its wake.

the longer they stand here, the more that unsettled feeling melds into their minds. something is urging them on - though there is no light to lead them, they feel a pull, like a gentle tug that they can still easily resist, should they choose. ]

[perfectdistance]

The floor's uneven. Be careful.

[He looks up, and then around as something collapses in the distance.]

Somethin' fell, dunno where it is in relation to us.

Might be underneath the floatin' city.

[Disce doesn't like staying still and pushes her face against Nero's neck, trying to urge him to move on.

He'll approach one of the destroyed houses. What does it look like up close?]

[sponsoredby]

[ he takes her hand and peers out as his eyes adjust. ]

I'm not sure how comfortable you'd be with a piggyback ride, but the floor is really bad here...

[ he might as well offer as he starts to slowly guide he forward. ]

It might be. There's dead trees and broken columns...

[taptap]

[ she scowls immediately at the idea, but the collapse in the distance has her flinching closer. ]

If... Kotetsu-jiu thinks it'll be faster.

[ because whoo boy the faster they are out of here, the happier she'll be ]

[grigori]

[ wow. i, for one, would love a piggyback ride from kotetsu? count your blessings, a-qing!

there's no way to tell exactly where this is. but if they've been paying attention, they may notice engravings or stylistic architecture here or there that definitely resemble the island in the sky. even the trees look like they could have been the same breed, but their leaves have long since fallen and deteriorated into dust.

they head for the closest house, where he'll see that it used to have brick walls and windows in a familiar style. the main structure is still standing, and seems to show several rooms and the remnants of those who once lived here - tattered curtains, threadbare rugs, worn-down furniture and the like. nero may have some very old cutlery if he likes. it's just scattered around in there, covered in dust and maybe a little out of shape.

beyond this, more buildings, and what could have been a cobblestone street, before everything was destroyed. ]

AND ALL HEARTS WERE CHILLED INTO A SELFISH PRAYER FOR LIGHT

[grigori]

[ the world grows darker around them, the fog closing in on the lone survivor, but he does not see. fate is suffocating, resignation damning, and loss so heart-rending that even the gentle glow that approaches goes entirely unseen.

open your eyes.

nero awakens to finds that the ghost of bradley has vanished, and that he himself has been moved. everything around him has fallen quiet, the atmosphere heavy though the stifling miasma cannot reach even through the skeleton of broken window mosaics. he is inside the church, lying on a dusty floor where the rubble of the collapsed roof and old wooden pews have been shoved aside to grant them space.

before the alter, a young girl awakens where she clings to a cat like a lifeline. they could not protect each other once, but now they have a second chance, and must not let it go to waste.

a-qing is alive.

finally, upon the alter, the third rises, a tiger curled protectively around his form, offering only a soft keen for a precious phantom they could not save.

kotetsu t. kaburagi is alive.

all three bear their wounds, and though they bleed, they feel no pain, perhaps the blessing of this broken chapel, the remnant of a holy magic long lost to the world above. there is no light outside these walls, but now that they have found sanctuary, a gentle radiance welcomes them back to the living.

they are not alone. ]

[perfectdistance]

[Nero's alone, and not alone. Disce curled up next to him. He turns away from the other two, wiping his eyes.

Bradley doesn't have a second chance, but these two do. Alive again, thanks to some grace he can't guess at.]

... Hello?

[Who else is here?]

[sponsoredby]

[ kotetsu slowly pushes himself up, body still a mess from the fight... it's strange not to feel it, even if he can see his own blood. he briefly wonders if that's from the numbness of his heart or something more.

is this hell? is he still actually dead despite moving?

all he knows is that she's gone and he couldn't do a thing to save her. a failure as a hero, but more importantly, a failure as a father.

there's a hollow expression when he hears nero call out and looks over in his direction, finely butting her head lightly against him. ]

...Hey.

[ his voice sounds more empty than it ever has. ]

[taptap]

[ ....well, that sure happened. a-qing curls tighter around cong-ning, the latter gently licking salty tears off her cheek before she looks up, sniffing as she turns her head towards both nero and kotetsu. ...it sounds like none of them fared well with whatever these spirits wanted from them, huh? might as well just lay right back down where they are and stay there.

yet, there's a mental scoff at letting them win and a-qing shakily pulls herself up from her sprawl. they're still breathing (somehow), it's not time to return to the ground just yet ]

What now?

[grigori]

[ a voice greets them, itself a chorus of many overlaid upon one another that echoes in the church walls. ]

YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE.

[ look, and they'll find a being of dust before them with regal wings upon its back. though they stand proud and radiant, their glow appears a bit dimmer than you might expect, as if the fog around them has taken its toll. ]

[perfectdistance]

Yeah?

[Obviously? Why is this angel(?) saying things he already knows.]

Does anybody? Who are you?

[sponsoredby]

[ finley shifts off of kotetsu, golden dust dripping from her neck and side, as kotetsu stands, bloodied.

he looks at the angel there, his eyes darkening. ]

Great. Don't care. We're here anyway.

[taptap]

[ a-qing won't even bother looking. ]

Ah, more nonsense?

[ blease she's tired of you spirits being so high and fuckin mighty. TELL HER SOMETHING USEFUL FOR ONCE, HUH? ]

[grigori]

[ they are unbothered by the blatant disrespect. they merely sound resigned. ]

MANY BELONG AND RESIDE IN THE MIASMA.

YOU WERE FORTUNATE. ANY FURTHER, AND I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ASSIST.

[perfectdistance]

[He rubs his face, he looks down at his wound.]

... Thanks.

[I Guess.]

You're an angel, right? Why are you here?

[sponsoredby]

You're not one of the ones, you know... trying to influence the sides, right?

[ he adjusts his vest, checking something quick before looking back up at the angel. he's also probably peppered with golden dust from finley being curled around him, huh...

but he's slowly approaching. ]

We were also dragged there. That's not where we're from.

[taptap]

Thank you for the help.

[ it's absolutely reluctant but one must always be polite to those who actually give assist. otherwise, she scoops up cong ming, trailing her own pile of gold dust behind her as she toddles closer to the others. pay no mind how she's weaving side to side a little in the meantime. ]

Why are we here anyway?

A FEARFUL HOPE WAS ALL THE WORLD CONTAINED

[grigori]

[ with the blessing of raguel's light, the gift of redemption, the dragon seems to come alive. recognition glitters in its eyes, and as it looks upon the three, it offers freedom, escape to a world clear skies where before it has only known darkness and corrupted souls.

climb upon its back, and return to the safety of the island above, to the people you've come to know and trust. injured and hurting though you are, they will care for you as you lick your wounds and greet another dawn.

you are alive. ]

As the stars did wander, a good end.

For your reward, you will find yourselves in possession of:

★ Your injuries, of course.
★ A photo that seems to flicker and glitch as you look upon it, showing different subjects to different people. A-Qing will see herself with Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan. Kotetsu will see himself with Kaede and Tomoe. Nero will see himself with Bradley and the sage. All three see glimpses of three young men, but it always seems to land on those more familiar to them.
★ The Book of Life, unreadable to human eyes.
★ A guitar pick, capable of playing a song that can destroy pain and sadness, and grant the strength to move onward.
★ Saint Michael’s sword, able to cut through any material.
★ The holy grail, bearing the power to heal someone to peak condition.
★ Nero gets to keep all that old cutlery, I guess. Why not.
★ Lastly, as a result of their deaths, A-Qing and Kotetsu will find that their daemons have lost the ability to shift into one of their standard forms.

For one time use, the feathers made of Dust that you've acquired will grant you abilities. The feathers do not disappear after use, but do lose some of their warmth.


★ A-Qing's feather will grant her the power to incite feelings of fear in its target for up to two days.
★ Kotetsu's feather will grant him stop time for thirty seconds.
★ Nero's feather will allow him to force someone to keep a secret at all costs until the moment of their death.
Later, you'll notice that there's a scrap of paper tucked into the book along with the photo. It is old and covered in dust, golden or otherwise, and written on parchment in elegant, looping script:


The Authority is not the Creator it claims to be. It is easy to fall victim to their lies, as one of the eldest beings of this universe. Xaphania is no exception, and to have one's pride wounded is to no longer seek understanding.