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the-era-of-shadow · 11 months ago

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The Day The Moon Died Act II - The Wave of Black

Case 01: The Eternal Highschool Lovers

Chapter 3: The Fight Chaos With Chaos (Is It Truly Possible?)

Written by Ash Rose & Black Shadow

Cover Art by Ash Rose

CW/TW:

Swearing, heavy (fictional) religious themes, hints at religious trauma, implied parental abuse, mild transphobia, non-consentual outing

Summary:

The Black Arms' rally had been a complete and total success, and the group began to grow immensely in the weeks following it. To tell the tale of its spread in full, follow these three separate, and yet connected tales - cases of the Black Arms' effect on PetalBloom, and see for yourself the damage that had been done.

Notes:

HI sorry for the long-ish wait between Chapter 2 and 3! Updates should become more frequent now - y'all know how the month of December gets! Also shout out to my beloved @theshootingraistar for some of the more comedic parts of this chapter - your ideas gave for some great last minute additions

[Act 1]

[Moonlight Interlude I]

[Previous Chapter]

[Next Chapter]

“On the contrary, Kuel! I already have enough to deal with at the moment as is - and last time I checked, I stopped being your babysitter after I graduated from the middle school wing!” Uni protested as she continued to rush through the streets, even speeding up a bit in the hopes of escaping Kuel’s pursuit of her.

“Who said you were my babysitter? I always took it as a sort of rivalry - two equals on opposite sides of a debate facing off to declare who’s right and who’s wrong~!” Kuel argued quite casually - seeming to completely ignore the fact that Uni didn’t want him around.

“Putting it like that is flawed by nature and thus nonsensical! “Who’s right and who’s wrong” is to be decided by Madam Moonshine and Madam Moonshine alone, and she decided long before our time that order is the only way forward!” Uni argued back, much more seriously than Kuel had.

“So is “order” how you’re moving forward right now, then?” Kuel questioned smugly.

“You- YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT, JACKASS!” Uni lashed out in utter annoyance, racing to find a way to get Kuel off her tail - even if it meant taking a bit of a detour.

“Ooooo~, such spicy language from the likes of you! What would your parents think if they knew you said such things? Or for that matter, Priestess Waning~?” Kuel taunted, both with their words and with her uncanny ability to still keep up with Uni despite all the turns and detours she took in effort to evade him.

“Don’t you dare invoke the name of the High Priestess when you still refuse to abide by her teachings!” Uni fumed, taking such great offense that she actually - finally - stopped her attempts to flee and turned to face Kuel directly. “For the record, by the way - Madam Moonshine and the other gods gave us language with which to communicate with each other. I feel, personally, to avoid certain words that are of her creation because they are “swear words” is an insult to their hard work!” She added, approaching closer towards Kuel.

“Interesting ideology you’ve got there - are you aware that you’ve indirectly said that your family and Priestess Waning have insulted Madam Moonshine by them having kept their tongues clean?” Kuel claimed, continuing to tease Uni despite her being very obviously angered by now.

“I-I… You-!” Uni stammered, unsure of how to respond as her cheeks began to glow from embarrassment.

“Are you also aware that by you having stopped your pursuit of Latté and Mocha, the distance between you and them has lengthened?” Kuel added before Uni could formulate a proper response.

“Shit-!” Uni blurted as such a realization registered in her mind, turning away from Kuel to see if she could catch sight of the crowd of children once more.

“In fact, we’ve been at this for quite a while, haven’t we? I bet those little fuckers are already all filed into the schoolhouse by now! Oh well, there goes your plans - whatever they were.” Kuel noted snidely - Uni could just feel his classic shit-eating grin widening as she spoke.

“Weren’t you just arguing with me over the ethics of swearing??” Uni questioned, clinging to whatever part of their words she felt was easiest to tackle.

“Uni, Uni, Uni… You should definitely know me far better than to assume I’d actually give a single gods-damn fuck about “foul language”.” Kuel revealed without a single care in the world.

“Th-then why were you even arguing about it with me in the first place??” Uni yelled, both furious and entirely confused.

“Well you see, Uni - I like seeing you angry. You’re a very entertaining rival...” Kuel answered smugly, even chuckling slightly afterwards.

“We are NOT rivals!!” Uni protested.

“Also I needed an excuse to distract you.” Kuel added, which caused something within Uni to snap completely.

“Ohohohoho… AHAHAHA- NOW I see what’s going on!” Uni claimed, herself now grinning as she intermittently giggled maniacally. “Just as expected, too! You’re playing assistant to your beloved idols of chaos as always and are keeping me at bay for them!!” She assumed. “So, just what the fuck is it you’re keeping me for, Kuel? Just making sure I don’t pull Latté and Mocha from their dirty little grasps…? Or maybe… Are you somehow feeding them information on where I am so you all can either tear me apart and feast on my holy flesh or try to corrupt me into being like you all??” Uni concluded, beginning to pull at Kuel’s robe.

“Okay first of all, what-??” Kuel tried to respond, only to be interrupted by Uni.

“Do it, then! Boil me, braise me, roast me on a spit with an apple in my mouth! Then you freaks really will face the wrath of Moonshine and her ministry!!” Uni threatened, laughing hysterically afterwards.

“Oh for fucks sake-!” Kuel sighed as he slapped Uni across the face with all the force they could give. “If this is some elaborate joke to get back at me after all this time, congrats. Otherwise, you’re making quite the accusation for someone who’s acting just like those so-called “freaks” right about now. Especially the part about wrath and vengeance or whatever. Though I guess that is also kinda just the norm? Odd, don’t cha think?”

For a few moments, Uni just stood there, holding her head in pain. Eventually though, she did finally face Kuel once again.

“Did… did you just… hit me??” Uni groaned, now much calmer than she had been a minute ago.

“Sure did.” Kuel confirmed nonchalantly.

“... You were trying to incapacitate me so you could-!!” Uni started to shout again, though she was interrupted.

“Oh no you don’t, no more of that.” Kuel said as they held Uni off from trying to grab at her. “Come on, just look into my eyes, alright??” He then demanded, pulling Uni back towards them by the ribbon of her bowtie.

With no other choice, Uni did indeed look into Kuel’s eyes - all four of them.

Each of them had dark blue scleras contrasted by bright orange irises, giving them a sort of sunrise-like appearance - if you squint, and squint Uni sure did. She tried for a good few solid minutes to try to find what it was that Kuel was telling her to look for, or perhaps she was just waiting for something to happen.

But nothing happened.

And that’s when it clicked.

Kuel’s eyes were perfectly normal and lively, unlike that of Latté and all of the others whisked away by the Black Arms.

“Do you see it yet?” Kuel asked.

“You’re… Not working for the Black Arms…?” Uni answered hesitantly, still unsure in her answer.

“Incorrect!” Kuel responded with a grin.

��What?!” Uni reacted.

“I’m not a Black Arms, nor am I working for them!” Kuel clarified, his grin widening.

“D-DON’T JOKE LIKE THAT, ASSHOLE!” Uni pouted in fury as she realized that Kuel had just pranked her. “THIS IS SERIOUS!!!”

“I know, I know, I just couldn’t help myself, ya know?” Kuel admitted, much to Uni’s chagrin.

“Back on topic - why aren’t you working with them, anyway?” Uni asked Kuel.

“Why do you ask? Surely you wouldn’t prefer the alternative, right?” Kuel responded.

“No, of course not! I’m only asking because - well - didn’t you used to practically worship the guys that founded it or whatever?” Uni clarified her question.

“Yeah I… I did. But that was before the schoolhouse incident.” Kuel answered, sounding genuinely sullen.

“... The schoolhouse incident?” Uni echoed in curiosity.

“Surely you remember it too, right?” Kuel assumed.

“Of course, that’s why this school year got a delayed start - the town council had to hire contractors to rebuild the schoolhouse.” Uni replied.

“... Take a walk with me, Uni.” Kuel offered calmly.

“To the schoolhouse, right?” Uni wondered.

“Nah… Headin’ back to base. Since your plan is probably bust by now, we gotta congregate with the others of Mini Mayhem and make a new one.” Kuel explained.

“... To be honest with you, I didn’t really have much of a plan.” Uni finally admitted.

“More the reason then, huh?” Kuel argued, to which Uni nodded in agreement.

Once the two had found themselves back at the Riverbed Town’s plaza, Kuel began to speak again.

“You’re aware that I have an older brother, right?” He asked Uni, slowing his traveling speed down rather significantly.

“Bahn Aru, right?” Uni replied, doing the same.

“Yeah, him.” Kuel confirmed.

“I think I remember seeing him in the senior year section of last year’s Schoolhouse Scrapbook, but I guess it didn’t fully click that you two are related.” Uni recollected, looking around at the still rather empty plaza as she spoke.

“That’s fairly understandable. We really aren’t that much alike, if I’m honest. Aru’s the quiet type, the teacher’s pet, but also kind to everyone he meets - even at his own expense. The type to always stay after class and help the teachers out with errands…” Kuel explained. “But I still love him, ya know? And I know he loves me too…”

“... It’s nice to hear that you have such a kind influence in your life.” Uni responded, feeling genuinely happy for Kuel, despite how much of an annoyance they tend to be for her.

“Agreed… Which is why it pains me that I almost lost that influence in my life…” Kuel revealed, tears starting to form in his eyes.

“... Pardon…?” Uni asked, not knowing what else to say as shock and dread filled her heart.

“Just before the graduation ceremony last year… Aru stayed with his language arts teacher up ‘til the last second helping her prepare the Schoolhouse Scrapbooks for that year. When Sendrir hijacked the ceremony and took to the mic, he and the teacher were traveling the schoolyard, carrying the scrapbooks to the front of the Schoolhouse’s entrance where the ceremony was taking place.” Kuel elaborated.

“So when Sendrir and Widow set off the explosives, Aru and the teacher were close enough to the Schoolhouse to be in the blast radius?” Uni surmised.

“Yeah… He had to be taken to the hospital for a few weeks… I feared every day until he came home that he wouldn’t make it… It was then I decided that the Children of the River aren’t all I cracked them up to be, and decided I wanted to be better…” Kuel replied. “By the way… I feel odd asking such a thing, but, who’s Widow?” He then inquired.

“Chanté.” Uni clarified.

“Ah… So he got a name change? Or uhm, I should probably not assume that the pronouns didn’t also change-” Kuel said, quickly stumbling over their words as she felt rather embarrassed by his ironic mistake.

“From what I’ve overheard, I think she identifies with feminine terms now?” Uni relayed.

“Thanks! I’m still rather surprised you’re so casual about the gender stuff.” Kuel remarked.

“We’re not babies our whole lives, are we? Why should we have to be confined to a singular identity?” Uni explained her reasoning.

“But isn’t that striving for more than what Moonshine has given you? Even… Being unhappy with the life she gave you?” Kuel questioned. Uni knew he didn’t believe in the words they were saying… But they still bothered her.

“Uhm… N-no, I don’t think so! Madam Moonshine just happened to make some of us have a differing identity from the body we were given! To go through the hurdles of altering your appearance to align with the identity she gave you is honoring her!” Uni argued rather passionately.

“But wouldn’t it be simpler, kinder even, to just have the person’s body align with their identity from the start?” Kuel wondered, now certainly playing the role of Devil’s Advocate just to screw with Uni.

“I-I-It’s an overcoming of chaos energy! The chaos distorts the body in the womb to change it from its true identity!” Uni exclaimed.

“But didn’t you imply earlier that the difference between body and soul was an intentional choice by Madam Moonshine?” Kuel claimed with the usual grin.

“N-No I didn’t!! I-I… I never said that!!” Uni stammered, lying.

“If you say so.” Kuel then retorted, throwing their hands up in the air.

“D-don’t you think we got a bit sidetracked there-?” Uni said, trying to change the subject - but Kuel interrupted her.

“How come you’re so passionate about this bit of your ideology, anyway? With the swearing thing you just brushed off your hypocrisies, but here? You’re really trying to justify how your worldview differs from those you admire. I can’t help but wonder why…?” Kuel inquired, either ignorant or uncaring of how uncomfortable they were making Uni.

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore, Kuel.” Uni said bluntly, but Kuel didn’t listen.

“Aww, why not~? We were getting into a really good discussion! One that I have every right to be invested in, given my own identity!” He insisted. “Is it because you’re just an ordinary girl that always was a girl and you don’t wanna hear us who are different from you talk about something so abnormal~?”

“IT’S BECAUSE I’M NOT, AND I’D RATHER PEOPLE NOT KNOW ABOUT IT, YOU FUCKING DICKHEAD!!!” Uni snapped, running away from Kuel as she obscured her tear-covered face from view.

Uni almost never talked about it, hell, she hated even thinking about it, but Uni was indeed declared a boy when she was born. But from the moment she started to crawl, she began to show signs of the true identity lying within her soul. She was a girl, and neither her nor her parents could deny it.

Uni’s parents have made it very clear over the years to her that if Uni had come to this realization later in life - if the circumstances were even slightly different, they would have made her repress such feelings and carried on with life as a boy. But Uni got lucky, she showed the signs early enough and obviously enough that her parents - reluctantly - found it easier just to let Uni embrace her true identity as a girl, pretending that this was just how things always were.

Uni was to tell not a single soul about her birth sex, for fear that the information would reach the Priestess and jeopardize the Bishop family’s relationship with her, and for the most part, Uni did do as she was told.

Except… there was one person she told.

Latté.

A few months into the two’s relationship, the guilt that had begun to weigh on Uni for keeping such a thing a secret from her was just too much for Uni to bear - so against the advice of her parents, she told her. Uni was convinced from the very moment she invited Latté to the date where she would reveal the truth that it was fated to mark the end of their relationship - that Latté would hate her.

But she didn’t.

Latté still loved Uni even after finding out that she was born a boy. “Because no matter what, you’re still you.”, she had explained as her reasoning.

From that day forward, Uni knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Latté, no matter the stakes. She never wanted to have to risk finding someone new, someone who might not be as understanding as Latté was. She never wanted to lose the support Latté gave her.

And as Uni sat all alone, deciding to find shelter within the abandoned Rojo Diner, the thought that she might not get to be with Latté forever like she had hoped truly began to sink in.

She hated that thought, she hated it more than anything.

She hated the thought of being alone.

She hated being alone.

It hurt.

Her head hurt.

So damn bad...

“Uni..? Are you in here…?” She eventually heard Kuel’s voice call out.

“G-Go away…” Uni muttered, despite her loneliness. She truly felt violated by Kuel, the truth of her identity exploited for one of his many tricks.

“I’m really sorry for what I did back there… I… I wasn’t thinking about what I was saying.” Kuel admitted.

“Yeah… I could tell…” Uni remarked bitterly.

“Most of us in Mini Mayhem don’t have identities that align with our bodies either, and we’re all really chill about it… I just… I’m not used to people having to hide such a thing…” Kuel explained. “But that doesn’t make what I said to you okay.” He added, sitting down at the booth adjacent to the one Uni was sitting in.

“... How are you guys so… open about it?” Uni asked.

“Well, having each other as support definitely helps things… I’m willing to extend that out to you if you want. You and Latté. … I promise I won’t be an asshole about your identity anymore.” Kuel answered.

“... I’ll think about it.” Uni mumbled.

“Yes!” Kuel said cheerfully to themself with a fist pump.

“Let’s get going now.” Uni spoke, getting up from her booth.

“Are you sure? Don’t cha wanna rest a bit more? I did put ya under a lot of stress there…” Kuel asked with genuine concern in her voice.

“Unfortunately, at a time like this, we don’t have the luxury of wasting time.” Uni argued. “Let us get to your base so we can figure out how to get Latté and Mocha back.”

“Got it.” Kuel responded, following Uni out of the abandoned diner.

-☆☆☆-

“Yikes… Poor girl, livin’ in a world that hates her guts.” Rouge remarked, grimacing.

“I know how that feels.” Shadow lamented.

“I definitely did too…” Widow said.

“Well yeah, that’s what the whole first part of the story was about, wasn’t it?” Rouge noted.

“According to my notes - yes!” Relic answered.

“Gods, you’re such a fucking dork. A hot as hell dork.” Rouge replied flirtatiously, leaning towards Relic with sultry eyes.

“You just can’t wait for us to go under for our physical assimilations, can you?” Relic teased, also being flirtatious.

“Is it that obvious~?” Rouge playfully scoffed.

“It’s been obvious since at least the beginning of November. I’ve seen the visions the hivemind gives you.” Shadow testified, inserting herself into the conversation.

“I wasn’t asking you, you wanna-be Hot Topic employee.” Rouge retorted, waving Shadow off as she spoke.

“Hmph! As if you’re not wearing the same type of fashion as I am?” Shadow argued with a smirk, eyeing Rouge’s rather punk inspired outfit.

“W-who said anything about fashion??” Rouge argued back, her voice wavering ever so slightly as she started to realize that Shadow was right.

“If it wasn’t fashion you were talking about, then what makes me a “wanna-be Hot Topic employee” then, hmm?” Shadow inquired, knowing her victory in this exchange of bickering was certain.

“I-I… Uhm… Ugh! You’re the salt of the aerth!” Rouge pouted in defeat. Widow noticed Harazuki’s ears perk up upon Rouge speaking such a phrase, but paid it no mind.

“I beg your pardon?” Shadow asked teasingly.

“Scum of the aerth! Something like that!” Rouge hastily replied, crossing her arms dramatically.

“Anyways…” Leanni spoke, diverting attention onto her. “I do hope Uni eventually finds her way into our graces… It would be a shame for her life to be forever miserable…”

“Well now, you all will just have to keep listening to me to find out if that happened or not, won’t you~?” Widow responded, winking.

“True, true.” Leanni agreed.

-☆☆☆-

“So where even is this base of yours in the first place?” Uni asked after she and Kuel had been traveling for a couple of minutes. “You never striked me as the kind of individual to be able to reserve a location of your own. Considering that you’re twelve years old and all.” She added.

“Only two years younger than you!” Kuel jokingly retorted.

“That didn’t answer my question, Kuel.” Uni replied, giving a smirk of her very own to him.

“Hm. suppose it didn’t!” Kuel admitted. “The Mini Mayhem HQ is located in none other than… My house!” They then answered, finding the perfect coincidence of timing as she was able to point at said house as he spoke.

“... I really should have expected that.” Uni remarked.

As Kuel and Uni entered the house, Uni noticed the sounds of two people having a conversation with one another. Despite her current objective, she couldn’t help but stay put for a moment so that she could listen in to what was being said.

“Yes, I had read about that in the newspapers last week.” One of them, the voice of a young adult man, said.

“Did you now? I thought your parents were the only one buying the newspapers in the family! Surely they wouldn’t want to subject you to such gruesome material!” The other one, the voice of a middle-aged woman, reacted.

“Well, actually, I’ve taken up a part-time job as a newspaper delivery person recently! My supervisor, Ræa, says that if I stick with it for long enough, he’d be willing to take me under his wing as an apprentice journalist! I’m not fully sure if that’s the road I wanna go down in life - but hey, having an opportunity is never a bad thing, right?” The young man explained. “Anyway, I noticed the story was a frontline article one day while delivering, and gave it a read.”

“See? That part about opportunity? That’s what I’m talking about!” The woman remarked.

“... Pardon me?” The young man asked, seemingly shocked.

“I told you about it all before, haven’t I? How I was denied the role of Co-Priestess thanks to that kiss-ass? Now that she’s out of the picture, maybe Priestess Waning will reevaluate and select me to be at her side!” The woman clarified, the joyful tone of her unsavory words making Uni wince.

“Mrs. Flahj, that is quite unkind of you to say.” The young man stated, sounding aggravated. “You told me last month that you were going to not be so obsessed with the “rivalry” between you and Mrs Chanté that you had created in your head - and here you are celebrating her demise?”

“Well when you put it like that it certainly sounds bad, but-” The woman tried to argue, but the young man interrupted her.

“It’s because it is bad. Your mind is so focused on yourself and your achievements that you do and say these terrible things to people! That’s why I have these chats with you, I want to help you out of that mindset! I saw how your daughter acts when she comes over to play with my younger brother and I wanted to hopefully help her home life improve!” The young man explained.

“Uni! Are you going to accept my offering of membership or not?” Kuel called out, pulling Uni’s attention away from the conversation she had been eavesdropping on.

“Oh, right. Sorry. Got distracted.” Uni muttered, feeling embarrassed as she followed Kuel down into the house’s basement.

But despite her feelings, Uni’s curiosity just couldn’t be helped. So only after a few steps had been advanced through, Uni spoke up again.

“Who were those two I heard talking in the living room?” She asked Kuel.

“Ahhh, so that’s what you were distracted by~? Probably Aru and Mrs. Flahj. Aru told me he’s trying to be a sort of therapist for her since she seems to not be the most… kindest mom around to Rehkloos.” Kuel answered.

“I… see.” Uni replied, still feeling uncomfortable about what Mrs. Flahj had said about the late Mrs. Chanté.

“But let’s not focus on that right now, that’s Aru’s thing, and we have our own thing - Mini Mayhem’s new mission!” Kuel stated, raising their voice for the last part of her sentence as to catch the attention of the other three members of Mini Mayhem awaiting them in the basement - the Headquarters.

“A new mission?” A masculine voice spoke.

“For us?” A feminine voice added.

“I think that’s what I heard!” Another feminine voice confirmed.

“A new mission, to be completed alongside our new member~!” Kuel added theatrically, entering the Headquarters in dramatic motions - as Uni followed behind him with a much more ordinary approach.

“A NEW MEMBER?!” The voices of the three other members yelled excitedly in unison.

“Indeed, indeed, my mischievous friends! Why don’t we give her the introductions~?” Kuel suggested, to which the others nodded in glee, and gathered into what seemed to be some sort of formation - as if gearing up for a performance.

“Oh dear Madam Moonshine, I must ask… What have I gotten myself into…?” Uni thought to herself, already tired out on Kuel’s more… theatrical side.

“I am Katrien of the Cresent, my pronouns they and he - and who are you that our leader has sent, oh my oh me!” The first of the three spoke. He was a lanky masculine person with light pinkish-gray skin, samely colored shoulder length hair with bangs that obscured one half of their face much like Uni’s, and four eyes all with fuchsia sclera and black irises only on the lower pair, wearing a darkly colored tight-fitting long sleeved undershirt, an open short-sleeved lavender robe and a deep purple wrap around their waist.

“I am Kæ’Mirah of Verde, you may refer to me as she - you already look quite chaotic if I may, great opportunity in you is what I see!” The second of the three then spoke. She was a somewhat chubby yet quite tall girl with dark purple skin, dull pink neck length hair that had no bangs at all, four eyes with red sclera - the main two having black irises while the top two seemed iris-less, who wore a pale blue shirt, a navy blue skirt with periwinkle laces at the bottom, a pastel pink scarf, and a jacket of various shades of reddish-pinks that had four sleeves - two sleeves too many for Kæ’Mirah to actually make use of.

“And I am Rehkloos of Flahj, I too am a she - what you see is no facade, for in our presence you are to be!” The third of them spoke. She was an average sized girl with light brown skin with samely colored hair that reached down to her hips. She wore a long dark brown turtleneck undershirt with a light coffee brown short sleeved coat that which held two arms in each sleeve, somewhat giving off the illusion that her four arms were actually two, an off-white wrap around her waist, and most noticeably, an off-white mask with details painted in with pale yellows and greens. Though from far away one might think she had five eyes, Rehkloos actually only had two, their scleras black and irises gray. The other three “eyes” were simply just painted on the mask in pale yellow.

“Together, we are Mini Mayhem, led by yours truly - so now, take my hand, and let us be unruly!” Kuel added, taking Uni by the hand and thrusting her into the center of the Headquarters.

-☆☆☆-

“Perfectly done! Hehe, that introduction really reminds me of the Dark Arms!” Relic exclaimed.

“Gotta agree with ya there. Too bad that Eclipse isn’t here for this.” Rouge remarked.

“Do you two want to be assimilated tomorrow or not? Because if you do, Eclipse is gonna have to be busy!” Harazuki claimed teasingly.

“What happened to you complaining about them overworking themself, eh?” Rouge inquired, equally as teasing.

“I didn’t say they have to overwork themself! They’re just busy! Busy working on preparing things for you two!” Harazuki clarified, puffing up her cheeks in frustration - but Rouge and Relic were already giggling together.

Widow giggled as well, simply returning to telling the story once the three of them were done having their moment.

-☆☆☆-

“Are you guys done now? I already know all of you.” Uni asked, rolling her eyes - even if she was admittedly a bit impressed by how coordinated their introduction was.

“W-We knew that!” Kæ’Mirah stammered.

“It’s just… tradition.” Katrien said.

“It’s quite necessary for your initiation!” Rehkloos added.

“Oh great, you’re still speaking in rhyme.” Uni groaned.

“Wait, we were?” Rehkloos inquired, completely unaware of such rhyming taking place.

“Ah, a mistaken coincidence… We intentionally rhymed during our introduction, but Rehkloos and I’s continuation of it was not intentional by any means.” Katrien clarified.

“Though… “Rehkloos”, huh? I heard Kuel mention that name earlier and figured it to be a new member. But no, it’s just you, Miss Flahj. Any particular reason for the name change?” Uni queried.

“Oh! W-well, I just… felt like it?” Rehkloos answered, seemingly unsure in her words. But before Uni could inquire further, the subject was changed.

“I-I don’t think I ever expected you t-to be here!” Kæ’Mirah remarked, speaking to Uni.

“I don’t think any of us did! So, Uni, why don’t you tell them why you’re here?” Kuel divulged.

“I… I’m on the search for my girlfriend Latté and her sister Mocha. Latté for certain is under the control of those-” Uni began to explain.

“Black Arms?” Rehkloos interrupted.

“.. Yeah, them. Mocha’s status is unknown. I saw them among a crowd of peers entering the Schoolhouse all at once, and was about to chase after them - but Kuel got in my way and insisted I get help from you all, whether I wanted it or not.” Uni continued. “And for the record, I didn’t.”

“Well, uhm, fully willing or not, a Mini Mayhem member is a Mini Mayhem member! … Right?” Kæ’Mirah stated.

“Indeed!” Kuel agreed.

“Fine, I’m a member of Mini Mayhem… But only until this situation is dealt with!” Uni conceded. The others cheered. “But… Why the hell do I even have to be? Kuel, was this just a scheme to get me into your little group, or is there an actual reason you didn’t let me follow Latté and Mocha into the Schoolhouse?” She then questioned.

“You don’t know?!” Kæ’Mirah blurted.

“Don’t know… what?” Uni asked, confused.

“Oh, r-right! Sorry! I’ll clarify!” Kæ’Mirah stuttered, immediately feeling guilty for her minor error, it would seem. “The Black Arms have turned the Schoolhouse into a congregation area! If you had followed them inside, there’s no way you’d make it out without becoming one of them!” She then explained.

“Hmph… Of course they have.” Uni grumbled. “I think I could’ve handled it. I followed Latté and two of their leaders to the other side of town last night and almost had Latté back - if it weren’t for my parents stopping me.”

“I see. But that was only three Black Arms in total-.” Katrien started to speak, but Uni interrupted them.

“Don’t call Latté a Black Arms.” She bellowed, staring daggers into him.

“O-Okay, I won’t, sorry.” Katrien apologized, their usually unshakeable calm exterior being shaken a bit. “That was two Black Arms and one Latté. You described a crowd. Far easier to get lost in. Far easier to get sucked into.” He quickly recuperated and continued on.

“So that leads us to what I was thinking, then.” Kuel interjected. “We go in there together!”

“Sounds like a plan to me, chief!” Rehkloos responded bravely.

“W-Wait, you expect us to go in there?? Wh-what if we all get our minds eaten or whatever happens in there, l-like Katrien said?!” Kæ’Mirah immediately started to panic.

“Minds eaten…? Have you been reading too many stories about the undead, Kæ’Mirah?” Uni remarked sarcastically.

“H-Huh?! N-No!!” Kæ’Mirah argued, most definitely lying.

“Kæ’Mirah has a point in her concerns. She is not without reason to have fear. However… We do stand more of a chance together than alone.” Katrien surmised.

“Ugh… Why can’t I just go at this alone…?” Uni lamented to herself, but then immediately admitted defeat. “Whatever, even if this plan is probably stupid, it’s also probably the best we’ve got, so let’s go rescue my girlfriend and her sister, then.”

“Of course. But first, we need to devise a plan!” Kuel exclaimed.

“Wait, then what the hell were we just doing-?” Uni asked, though her question went unanswered.

“Katrien, grab me my map of the Schoolhouse! Rehkloos, grab the markers! Kæ’Mirah and Uni, help me clear the table! It’s time to bring about some mayhem~!”

#the era of shadow #teos #sonic au #undescribed #black arms #writing tag #the era of shadow: origins #teos origins #mod ash #lycan DNI

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