JULY DUNGEON

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→ 7/8: Lockdown Begins

At the stroke of midnight, the world plunges into darkness. From the stars in the sky to the lamps on the streets, it’s as if all the light in the world gets sucked away, sight adjusting to the darkness courtesy of a single source left in the sky: the moon continues to hang overhead, though its brightness still depends on the phase.

Regardless of where the characters are that night, they find that along with light, all other creatures have disappeared as well— from the townspeople to the bear in the castle ruins to all the cats overpopulating the town and its surrounding forest— replaced with the howling of the wind that picks up and continues all night long. For those who venture outside, they may find a breeze blowing by from time to time, the temperature plummeting until they step out of the path— and returning when they step back into it. Strange. Standing on the spot, one would find that the wind does not die down no matter how long they wait, more akin to a river than intermittent gusts of wind.

Following the breeze brings one into town (a godsend to those still in the forest, whether because they had just woken up in the castle ruins or because they decided to camp out in the forest overnight) and towards the school to flow past the school gates. The gates are still locked, but the roaming lights of the security guards are missing, and door to the high school building has been left slightly ajar. Will you jump the gate and enter? The decision should be made quickly, as those who linger to remain outside- or perhaps are still lost in the forest- will find the occasional mass of darkness approaching. Those caught by these Shadows will pass out, to awake unharmed the next morning, so run while you can.

Or learn how to fight back.

In an hour, Lockdown ends, stars blinking back in the sky and the lights and sound returning to the town as the people reappear. Those who were still awake at midnight continue about their business without any notice of that missing hour, and those who were asleep remain none the wiser. Over the course of the month, the townspeople become more and more lethargic, productivity in the town crawling to a stop near the end of the month. Perhaps it's a flu that's going around, or the summer heat finally getting to everybody... or perhaps it's those Shadows that come out each night during Lockdown, escaped from the dungeon to sneak into house after house, never staying very long, but checking each one as if looking for something.

It's anybody's guess as to what that might be, but with the way they will attack anybody outside the dungeon and knock them unconscious, they can't be anything good.

→ 1st Floor

Entering the dungeon during Lockdown, the front door to the high school building swings open silently, halls in complete darkness until one steps past the threshold and find their foot drops, a staircase leading down rather than the usual hallway inside the building. At the bottom of the short set of stairs lies another door that opens out to... outside. Rather than a school building with classrooms and festival decorations, all one sees under the starless night sky are fields of rice and barley and other grains, bales stacked high and bound together to form the entrance to a maze. Will you enter? Walking around the perimeter of the maze reveals no exit on the other side, with the possibility of something to be found within.

The maze is vast, the true path circling around several times before revealing a little shack resting in the center, but is not too difficult to navigate so long as one has the patience to try different paths and backtrack as needed, or the luck to choose the right path to begin with. For the cheaters among us, the walls are not too high that one cannot climb over them, but be aware that doing so will draw Shadows in towards the area. Now would be a good time to learn how to summon your Persona or pick up a pitchfork or other farming tools scattered around the maze, and fight back. Upon summoning your Persona, the darkness lifts slightly, allowing you to see the Shadows for what they are.

Common Shadows that can be found here include: BLACK RAVEN and HYBRID Shadows.

BLACK RAVEN
Type Shadow	Resists Wind	Weak Electricity
At first glance, these Shadows may appear to be regular animals, but as they swoop down from the air and swing their lanterns at unsuspecting heads, it becomes quickly clear that they aren't friendly. Gripped in their talons, they carry a small lantern that they'd use to strike against characters, but they're not shy at using their becks as well. Flying in flocks, they prefer to stay high in the sky where they cannot be reached, diving only to make an attack before quickly retreating back into the air. They're difficult to corner with the large open space and although they're small, they are able to conjure up great gusts of wind with a few flaps of their wings. However, when you're finally able to land a hit on them, they are quickly defeated. Their defences, so it seems, aren't very strong. Feathers and lanterns can be collected as loot.

HYBRID
Type Shadow	Resists Dark, Physical	Weak Fire
These large jittery creatures rarely stay still, jerking and twitching in seemingly unnatural movements. Their large bulgy eyes are constantly moving, hyper aware of their surroundings. The moment they spot an outsider, they unleash a high-pitched cry and begin to charge. They use their long legs to reach out and grab enemies with their long talons. Once they successfully take hold of someone, they will repeatedly slam them into the ground. Should they miss their lunge, they will instead resort to clawing or using their branch-like horns to inflict damage. Physical attacks will do very little to deter the creature, much less stop its rampage, but it will become terrified at the sight of fire. Fangs, talons, and feathers can be collected as loot.

Upon defeat, Shadows may drop items and/or a small gemstone. Those who have been to the forest shrine may recognize the gemstone as being similar to the ones left inside the offertory box, though these are brightly colored and well polished. Hold onto these for now, and press forward to the shack standing at the center of the maze, which opens up to another set of stairs leading down into the abyss.

→ 2nd Floor

The door opens up fields of rice and barley and other grains... bales stacked in full carts, houses in the distance glowing with the flames of iron furnaces that bring a little more light to the night, and large planks of wood bound together like shields set up throughout the field, broken arrows and the occasional intact bow scattered all around.

Better take a quick look around, because while there is no maze to obscure your path, there is also little preventing the enemies here from seeing you either, unless you use those shields to your advantage to approach the beginnings of a village, fires burning warm even though all the houses remain devoid of people. Bedding exists in some houses, old pots and pans and many sets of wooden chopsticks. A couple of iron sharpening tools may be found, if you need to sharpen your... pitchfork or something.

The BLACK RAVEN and HYBRID Shadows from the previous dungeon continue to be the most common Shadows on this floor, with the occasional ONMORAKI Shadow and the rare F.O.E. CHIMERA. F.O.E.s are at a much higher level than the characters, and it is advisable to avoid them, rather than engage.

ONMORAKI
Type Shadow	Resists Dark, Fire	Weak Light
You'd notice the smell before anything else. Reeking of rotting flesh, these Shadows can be found miles away before they can even be spotted. They come in packs, intensifying their stench and if that isn't enough to incapacitate characters, their loud shrill shrieks will. A plume of smoke follows them around and they use both the smog and darkness to conceal themselves from enemy eyes. In the shadows, they will breathe fire and engulf characters in flames. Dark attacks will be nearly ineffective against these creatures, but Light attacks will reveal their hiding spots and also be effective in defeating them. A scroll with an incomplete purification rite can be collected as loot.

CHIMERA
Type F.O.E.	Null Fire, Light	Weak None
Larger than any other Shadow, these F.O.E.s act as guards of the dungeon. While the Shadows are the disposable troops that wander the area and simply attack whomever they see, the F.O.E.s specifically seek out intruders and attack with the sole purpose of killing them. They lurk throughout the dungeons, using their many eyes and noses to track down Persona users and charge without hesitation when they spot one. Their physical strength is tremendous and a single swipe of their mighty paws or talons will surely knock anyone out. They are unaffected by fire or light-based attacks and they will shrug off most other attacks. Unless you have a death wish, it would be unwise to challenge them in your current level...

For whatever reason, the Shadows and F.O.E.s cannot enter the houses, so these would be good places to rest and recuperate... and hope the Shadows aren't waiting outside the front door for you to step out. Near the back of the village, however, stands a small nondescript building, a wooden gate barring the entrance. Through the windows, one may see desks and chairs and chalkboards, papers hung up on the walls that are too far away to be read clearly, outside of the gates.

You're all going to get really good at breaking and entering by the end of this month, guys.

The gate swings open, but rather than a straight path to the schoolhouse, it's another set of stairs that await. Down you go...

→ 3rd Floor

The acrid smell of smoke hits at the bottom of the stairs, thick and choking in the sweltering heat of this floor. The same houses stand as in the one prior, but this time on fire, painting the night sky dusty reds and browns, phantom cries of help audible beneath the crackle of the flames although nobody is to be found after the fire is put out and village searched through. The field has been cut down, small structures of metal erected in its place, walls still hot to the touch. Inside, basic swords, axes, and shields can be found, some rusted over with blood, all of them battered and well worn. It's just as well that there are weapons storages to be found here because regardless of how well or not they served the village, they will be more useful for the ones here and now.

On this floor, ONMORAKI Shadows and the F.O.E. CHIMERA are much more prevalent, though other Shadows from previous floors may still appear. This floor also introduces two new Shadows, which are much stronger than the ones previous: the KOPPA TENGU and the TOBI TENGU.

KOPPA TENGU
Type Shadow	Resists Wind	Weak Dark
Travelling in groups, these Tengu-based Shadows will flee once they see any sight of danger. They're less interested in fighting and more preoccupied with being safe, so capturing one may be difficult. They will fly high into the air and blow people away by conjuring large gusts of wind with their wings. They don't have a lot of attacks and their defense is low, so they are easy enough to defeat, assuming that they don't fly away first. Curiously enough, none of the other Shadows or F.O.E.s pay them much attention... A Tengu mask and a blank scroll can be collected as loot.

TOBI TENGU
Type Shadow	Resists Light, Wind	Weak Ice
Although they are solidary creatures, this Shadow is accomplanied by smaller versions of itself. It strays away from the other packs of Shadows and spends its company with a minimum of one to a maximum of three mini-versions, flying around the lower depths of the dungeon. It doesn't attack characters directly. Instead, it uses its mini-versions to cast a wide range of status ailments that either causes team members to fight among themselves or hinders their progress, such as sleep, confusion, charm, or rage. After you are incapacitated, it will rush in with Dark-based attacks, but as soon you are able to snap out of your afflictions, it will retreat and send its minions to immobilize you and your team once more. A Tengu mask and magical healing leaves can be collected as loot.

On the other side of the area, tall iron gates prevent the characters from reaching the palace behind it. A large number of F.O.E.s patrol the area around the gate and on both sides of it, preventing characters from getting close or they will attack. Perhaps there's another way past them, if not by brute force? Those who picked up the masks dropped by the Tengu Shadows may realize that the F.O.E.s ignore the Tengu Shadows, and may reason that by putting the mask on to disguise themselves, the F.O.E.s will not attack them either.

F.O.E.s are keeping a close eye on anybody who passes through the gate, however, and nobody is allowed past, regardless of whether they're a Shadow, F.O.E., or trespasser.

→ 4th Floor

The gate remains locked and heavily guarded until the 22nd, upon which characters may notice a certain increase in agitation from all the enemies around the area, along with a certain amount of distraction. Every once in a while, a masked Tengu Shadow will approach the gate with a shining weapon or a barrel full of gold on hand, payment to be allowed entrance past the gate and into the palace beyond.

In order to pass, each character must obtain a mask in order to disguise themselves as Tengu Shadows, along with procuring an offering of some sort for the ruler of the palace. From the types of offerings seen going into the palace, it appears that the sharper and shinier, the better. Strangely, none of the Shadows seem to leave the palace after their delivery... It may be wise to get as many people together, and make the first shot count.

→ Mod Notes

⬥ A mod-posted toplevel for Floor 4 will OOCly go up on 7/22 for the boss encounter. ICly, characters will be able to fight the boss from the 22nd through the end of the month.
⬥ To determine the outcome of the boss battle, a minimum of 20 threads across the entire player base from this post is required, with a maximum of 2 threads turned in per player. Threads may involve battling, healing, exploring, discussing, etc as long as the characters interact with the dungeon in some way and must contain at least five comments from you. Please report your threads in the mod top level below. They are due by the end of the month.
⬥ The first time the characters come across a Shadow, their omamori grows warmer and warmer until it's impossible to ignore. All it takes is a touch of the omamori and an intention in mind— whether that's a call for help, something to for defence, or healing— and the character's shadow disappears from under their feet, gets sucked up into the omamori, and manifests as their Persona.
⬥ After this initial summoning, the characters will have the same strengths/weaknesses as their Persona regardless of whether it is actively summoned. Personas may be summoned during the day, but will not be not as strong as they would be during the Lockdown period.
⬥ The Lockdown period of darkness only exists for an hour, to return each night at midnight. There are no portals allowing characters to bypass cleared floors, so it would be advisable to work together to clear out the Shadows and allow for an easier time to reach the lower floors. The Lockdown may end while the characters are still inside the dungeon; one of two things may happen, up to player discretion: 1) they may remain in the dungeon, but for every hour they stay, an entire IC day passes by without their awareness; or 2) they will simply pass out and awaken somewhere randomly inside the high school building in the morning. The security guards are back, so don't get caught!! Or, play it safe and make sure to leave before Lockdown ends.
⬥ For those who choose to remain outside the dungeon during Lockdown, Shadows may be found outside of the dungeon as well.
⬥ Around 7/15-7/18 when the moon is at its fullest, Personas may behave strangely and disobey orders. Personas appear stronger the brighter and fuller the moon is, though becomes unstable once it's the full moon. This is an optional mechanic.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Thanks. I hope they come soon...

[ He closes his eyes for several seconds and reopens them to look over at Rei. ]

You look way too tired... are you healing too much? Do you need painkillers?

I-I'll be okay!

[ she shakes her head. ]

I just need to catch my breath... If you need healing, I'll be here!

Thanks--

[ Vassago dives at the Daitengu, opening its gaping jaws wide to get a chomp out of him, but he easily dodges and sends a fire spell over to the healers' side--right at them. Terry had an idea that this was going to happen, since this isn't the first time that the Daitengu had aimed directly for people when given the chance. He avoids the fate of spontaneous combustion with Rei by quickly rolling to the side and pulling her along with him. ]

Oh god... that was way too close. You okay?

[ it's a good thing that terry pulled rei along with him before the fire struck. her reflexes are slow and untrained, so without his assistance, she definitely would have been hit with the full force of that attack. she stares at where the floor is now scorched. ]

Y-Yeah.

[ she nods, but she's clearly rattled. she has an iron grip on terry's sleeve. ]

Maybe we should retreat for now...!

[ do they really have to stay here until the next team comes in? the boss won't be leaving to go anywhere, right? ]

[ Terry figures that the boss likes sticking to his own "sacred place" or whatever, but once they leave, there would be all those monsters to go through in order to escape the dungeon, especially those chimeras. Vassago is doing a good job of distracting the Daitengu with many attempts to bite its head off, but they don't always connect. He glances over at the other people who are doing their best to defeat the boss too. He feels like he shouldn't just leave them behind, and yet... even though he has full HP, thanks to Rei, he feels like his mind is going to give up, his brain crushing in on itself. The lifespan limit is near its end. It's like the equivalent of being exhausted beyond belief, but still having the energy to do things anyway. He promised not to be so reckless, but this. He needs to do this.

He resummons Vassago to his side and the dragon lowers its tail in front of Rei to act as makeshift stairs. ]

We can probably fly through the entire dungeon. Get on--

[ Daitengu won't allow that, speeding its way to Terry and kicking both him and the dragon. Vassago still stands, guarding Rei in the process, but Terry got flung over to the side from the kick. ]

[ rei was in the process of climbing onto vassago, but then the daitengu comes and kicks them all back. she lets out a yelp as she's pushed back, her hands gripping onto the side of the dragon, but luckily, as vassage stays standing, rei manages to keep on her feet. however, she looks over to terry and-- ]

T-chan!

[ immediately, she runs on over to him. ananke is already out and ready to heal if needed, but also to keep an eye out for the boss. ]

[ It's unfortunate that before Terry has the chance to fully get up, or Rei having the chance to get to Terry, the Daitengu makes use of its speed to already slam Terry back to the floor and slams its sandal columns on both sides of Terry's neck and doesn't waste time in digging into his chest with the other heel.

Vassago cries out in pain, but it fades out before it can have an attack connect with the Daitengu. Terry can't handle having his persona out anymore, but just like his persona, he also screams. He can hear and feel the heel hit the ground through him. The Daitengu thinks that his job is done and flies off to deal with other pesky damage dealers, leaving the blood corpse behind.

Well, almost.

This feels familiar, but it wasn't as bad as the time when he was cut in two. But still, it hurts. He's pretty sure his heart had been literally crushed. Blood pools under him and he starts feeling cold pretty fast. It'll be fine. It's fine. He thinks that he still has that degree of immortality, even though Kido told him that there's a chance it could have been revoked like the rest of his powers. He holds onto the belief that it's still there, since he still has to drink blood, but it feels like he's out of time for that too. Even with how much dungeon crawling he's done for the entire month, he feels like he's dulled out a lot because of the long peaceful period of his life, but that's just making excuses for himself at this point.

He knows that he has his demigod-level endurance now, so he knows that he won't be easily knocked out as before. Everything sure is hazy though. ]

Edited (I forgot to warn...) 2019-07-23 20:12 (UTC)

[ when the daitengu makes easy work of terry, rei can, unfortunately, do nothing but watch. she's paralyzed in fear. she finds herself rooted deep into floor and it's by some miracle that the tengu doesn't strike her next. perhaps it just doesn't deem her a threat. after all, it's not like her single attack can do anything. she's just a healer. that's all she can do. ]

[ when the creature flies away, rei finds herself moving again and she skids onto her knees, falling next to terry. ]

T-chan-- T-chan!

[ where does she start? that's blood. that's a lot of it. she has never seen that much before, not even when she lived in inaba municipal hospital for all those years. ]

I... I'll get you patched up! Let me-- let me heal you!

[ she's at a loss for words. she grips her omamori in one hand and terry's hand in the other. ananke does what she can, but simple healing spells can't heal a crushed heart. it's nothing but a blanket of warmth that will envelop over terry, but do nothing to actually get him up and running again. ]

[ He feels the familiar warm that comes from healing magic, but that's strange... he doesn't feel any better. He expected to be healed, even for the tiniest bit, but he doesn't feel it. He's also starting to lose feeling in various parts of his body too. This wasn't what he expected at all. Is this what real death feels like? Humans have the luxury to think about a life after death, but for Terry, he knows it's all over once he dies. Demigods, much less their clones, who originally had no place in the world, would never be allowed to stay in any sort of afterlife. ]

Rei--

[ He coughs out blood. Sorry for the blood on your face, Rei. Well, Terry actually thinks that, because he'll try to reach over to her face to wipe it off. It doesn't suit someone like her. ]

You shouldn't... stay here much longer. You're straining yourself, aren't you...? You should leave, recover, and come back with everyone else--

[ More blood coughing. He's gradually losing color from his face too. ]

[ she's confused when terry doesn't seem to be getting better. her healing skills worked before. is it because the injury is too big for her to do anything? or is she just too weak to heal it? maybe she should have listened and taken that painkiller or left earlier and came back when she was fully recovered. maybe this is all on her? ]

[ she shakes her head. ]

No! I'm not leaving without you!

[ she sounds adamant, even though her voice is shaking and wavering. tears sting the corners of her eyes and she has a tight grip on terry's hand. she's not going to let go. she's not going to let go! ]

[ tucking her omamori back into her pocket, she uses her other hand to grip the side of terry's waist facing away from her. she knows that she doesn't have the strength to properly move him and even with ananke's help, it's very clumsy. terry will still most likely be partially dragged across the floor as rei tries to make it towards the exit. at least, if terry will let her. ]

[ Even if Terry didn't want Rei to drag him to the exit, smearing the path with his seemingly endless supply of blood from the hole in his body, he doesn't have the power to. He's not exactly heavy for his size, but he's pretty pretty heavy for Rei at 63kg. There's several more coughs, and one that even sounded like he was on the verge of drowning.

A pillar of fire is raised in front of Rei, as if to serve as a warning. ]

It'll be fine, Rei... I... I'll come back.

[ Even if he feels like his lifespan is almost up. ]

So, don't worry.

[ Even if he thinks that there's really nothing he could do to reassure her. ]

We'll see each other... tomorrow. Same as usual.

[ Even if he thinks that he'll be rotting in the dungeon for whatever is left of his life. ]

[ she shrieks when the pillar of fire comes dangerously close to her and it gets her to stop in her tracks. she, thankfully, doesn't let go of terry and neither does ananke. they keep an ironclad grip on him and rei buries her face into the burrow of terry's neck. ]

I don't care! I-I'm going to get you out...

[ she mumbles and after a second to collect herself again, she moves once more. her steps are erratic and obviously rushed. she can handle it until they get out. when they get out, they can just put on the tengu masks and then those big scary monsters would leave them alone. she just needs to focus on escaping this room and then going through all those floors. she flinches when there's an explosion or a loud clash of attacks being exchanged, but she keeps moving. ]

We're going to eat a lot of good food and you can show me your magic trick again and we don't ever have to come back into this dungeon again. We can have fun outside.

[ she's running her mouth in order to distract both herself and terry. ]

[ Everything is excruciatingly painful. He grits his teeth from time to time to endure the pain when he's dragged over by Rei. It's not her fault. He thinks he can move a little again, despite bleeding constantly. Breathing is hard. Talking hurts him. He really wants to pass out already so that he can forget that he exists to feel the pain. Even so.

Even so... ]

Rei.

[ Terry's own movement are sloppy and weak, but he manages to put his omamori to her hand. It's pretty bloody, since his hands are too. Whether she grabs it or not is up to her. ]

I'll cast... another magic trick. Just for you.

[ He smiles. ]

Hold onto this for me. If you keep it, a... miracle will happen. I'm... sure of it...

[ she looks down at his hand and her own. oh, his omamori... it's covered in blood, but she still takes it. she's probably covered in blood right now. what's a little more? ]

W... What kind of miracle...?

[ Terry wants to say more, but even his throat won't cooperate. Breathing is even harder and even more painful. They say that people can pass out from how painful something can be, but Terry is stuck. His mouth won't move. His voice won't come out. He wanted to tell her that he'd always be with her. How he cherished every moment with her. How he never had a family to call his own and how Rei might have been the closest thing he had to a sister. How he wanted to help her find Zen. How he didn't want to leave her behind. How he wanted to protect Rei and keep her safe.

He wanted to say more.

He wanted to tell her so much more.

And yet.

His vision gets gradually blurry. All the noises in battle don't even register in his ears anymore. This is how a flesh cage loses functionality, despite the owner's wishes.

He always liked living, despite everything that went on in his life.

Terry's hand slides off Rei's and goes fully limp.

He's so cold. ]

T-chan...?

[ when terry's hand slides off, she stops. she stands still and looks down at him. ananke shifts to hold onto terry on her own as rei moves to pick up terry's hand once more. ]

... T-chan?

[ she shakes him, but no response. ]

[ she wails. ]

[ she buries her face into his broken chest and cries. her entire body shakes with each sob and she remains frozen. she doesn't move again until a stray wall of fire (that comes too close and just barely misses her) that she moves again. ]

[ ... in the end, it takes her nearly two hours (two nights) to drag terry out of the dungeon. in between trying to support his weight and avoiding the shadows, she's slow. she's not as quick as she wants to be, but she keeps moving because there is a sense of determination to get out. she can't let terry stay in the dungeon. he doesn't deserve to be in here for any longer. ]

[ as she moves towards the exit, she questions whether or not to even bring him to a hospital. her own worries about stepping foot in one again are secondary to whether or not anyone could even help terry. he's... dead, right? you can't revive people from the dead. not even death (zen) was able to avoid it... but she doesn't know what to do. she's lost and confused and in the end, she does drag him to the hirajiro hospital and the nurses and doctors take it from there. they usher her away and tell her to go home and get changed (or she could get changed in one of their hospital gowns. she immediately refused). she can see him later, they said, so she leaves. ]

[ when she returns, she's in a new set of clothes and a few belongings. they let her into terry's room and she grabs the seat next to his bed. she's silent throughout the entire process, only nodding or shaking her head to the nurse's questions (will she be staying? does she want anything?), and waits. she wraps herself in zen's cape and keeps her hands and mind busy as she sews little flowers over the omamori that terry gave her. she ensures to cover up the blood stains with little white flowers like her hair clips or the ones on her own omamori. ]

[ once she finishes, she just sits in her seat, pulling her knees to her chest and staring at nothing. she pulls the cape closer towards her and waits. ]

[ During the process, Rei could have heard whispers going around the nurses, saying things like:

"Nowell-kun is here again?

"He looks much worse than last time."

"It must be some miracle or dumb luck that's keeping him alive at this rate."

Since, well. Hospitals usually go through "the patient is dead" process right away, so the fact that Terry is on this bed right now, despite a hole in his chest with a crushed vital organ, means that they somehow think he has a chance to be alive. The hole has been more or less stitched up, but he's still bleeding out of it, so they need to change his bandages every few hours. Thankfully, his lifespan hasn't reached its limit, because, well, an incident happened during his blood transfusion and he ended up drinking some of the blood that accidentally spilled out of a packet. Thanks, clumsy nurse.

It's the afternoon. Children are coming out of school to play, and you can hear all sorts of chatter through the open window on the third floor room. The cat family is under the bed, minding their own business--a mother cat with her four kittens.

It takes a while, but Terry slowly opens his eyes. The first thing he feels his pain. Colossal pain. Everything hurts, but he does his best to stay still and only move his eyes around.

He sees Rei.

...

He's not sure what to do, so he doesn't announce his conscious state. He doesn't pretend to go back to sleep though, and keeps his eyes open. Though he wishes someone can come in and knock him out again because the pain is unbearable...

But the only other thing on his mind is that he's glad Rei is safe. Or at least, that's what he thinks, since she's here and not lying down on a hospital bed like he is. ]

[ it takes rei a few seconds to look up and notice that terry is awake. in fact, the only reason why she looks up at all is because of the sound of the students outside and it's at that moment that she notices that terry's eyes are open. ]

T... T-chan!

[ immediately, she gets up. her chair makes an awful screech as it's pushed back and she stands right next to the bed. she... doesn't know where to put her hands, so they hover. ]

Y-You're awake!

[ He looks at Rei's hovering hands and can't help but to smile even though he did flinch a little with the chair's screeching sound earlier. Terry's just going to endure this pain and pretend it's not even here. No... problem... ]

Yeah... and you look okay too. I'm glad...

[ He moves his wrist a little. ]

See? Told you I'd come back...

M-Mmhm, I'm okay...

[ there's not a single scratch on her, at least nothing that she wasn't able to heal away. ]

But... but I was so worried...! You stopped moving and you were so cold and--

[ her hovering hands finally find a place to rest and they go up to her eyes. tears start to form once again and she starts to hiccup. ]

[ Terry musters all the strength he has to wipe her tears with a thumb. At least his hand isn't bloody this time. ]

... A miracle, right?

[ Even though it's technically incorrect, Terry believes the fact that he's still alive here right now means that his semi-immortality hadn't been revoked since they work so similarly. Thank the game mechanics, Terry. ]

Sorry for scaring you. I wouldn't want to leave you behind.

[ once he extends his hand, she removes her own from her face to grip his. she just nods. ]

I know... it-- it was a good magic trick...

[ oh, speaking of magic tricks... she keeps hold of terry's hand but takes one of her own off so she can reach underneath the cape and into her pocket. she pulls out a little something and pushes it into his hand. ]

Here. Um, I did my own trick...

[ it's terry's omamori but she did her best to clean it up. with the parts that the blood couldn't come out, she sewed little white flowers on top so it now matches her own charm. ]

[ He lets the omamori dangle from his fingers, held up by the strings. Terry looks at the design and his smile grows a little wider. ]

Thank you, Rei... it looks cute. I'll treasure it forever.

[ ...

He thinks about this. There is no way a normal human could live after having their heart crushed to bits, so Rei must have gotten the idea that he isn't normal. Perhaps it's time to lay down the truth. ]

... Remember when you found the blood packet and we talked about how I needed to drink it sometimes?

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