☆ WELCOME TO HELL, YE POOR SOULS.

[raisingproject]

Magical Girl Raising Project

Graveyard

The last thing you remember is dying. Whether it's by murder or execution, that's was all it. But surprisingly enough, you wake up in the hotel room that you were assigned in, as if you had never died to begin with. However, once you walk right outside, you'll start noticing that while this is the Town A you remember, there are some slight differences that you notice.

The first thing is the fact that while you can see those who are still alive, they simply cannot see you. In fact, they pass through you, as if you were a ghost. And spoilers: you kind of are one, now. The second thing is that sometimes, if you look at a building for too long or too closely, you'll notice that it fizzles a bit, almost glitchy.

But that's completely fine, isn't it? There is, however, one more thing to keep in mind: there are voices of other people, mumuring. Of course, these other people, unlike you, don't have a complete shape; they're just a silhouette of themselves, looking like static.

However: it wouldn't be Town A without an announcement, would it? Of course not. Hence why upon rearriving, there will be a message, typed out:

Welcome to the afterlife, everyone. This is a greeting message to introduce you to how exactly this works. You have the ability to send one message to the living a week, so choose your words wisely. Of course, there are limitations to what you can say! You cannot reveal the mastermind's true identity, even if you know it. You cannot reveal a culprit or a victim, even if you know it.

Also, all messages will be sent to all players during the trials. If there is no trial, the message shall be sent on Saturday. You may investigate as you wish. If you have any questions to ask of me, please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

---

Comments

[telecosmetic]

[She manages a smile, although there are tears in it.] You...don't really have to be sorry. It's not like you killed me or anything.

[theotherother]

[He is not making eye contact with that. Nope. What's over here to look at? Looks like more park. Yeah, that works. He'll just stare at the park over here.]

...I'm sorry.

1/2

[telecosmetic]

...huh? I...I just said you had nothing to apologize for...

...did...did you...

[telecosmetic]

...did you try to kill Zack? You were the one outside his room?

[raisingproject]

[And June answers:]

Only people on the tower can hear me. It has to be physical.

[selfloving]

[One's been sitting seiza-style at the corner of this meeting in silence for a bit. Despite her willingness to let Zange exorcise her just a few weeks ago, she's determined not to dissolve into nothing until at least this work is done.]

I'd been trying to participate as little as possible in those horrendous charade games to avoid this. [She sounds a little contemptuous but changes the subject quickly.]

Enlighten me. Anyone who knows. The technology in this town...the television, those loathsome little "games," is it all the same? Mana as well?

[selfloving]

[Are you sure you don't want to run into her while you're throwing a morning tantrum, Kaine? Are you sure? Absolutely positive?

Well, it was impossible not to hear that this morning, anyway.

One's here in the park, too, kneeling by that destroyed tree, her expression pitiless.]

Ah. Did you break another chair?

[selfloving]

[There is a long, deliberate silence in which she studies Hinata's face without speaking.]

How unfortunate for them. And the rest of us. It would have been more useful if there was more he could give us.

[But she supposes it makes sense. Anyone can kill if pushed.] What is it? Insurance?

monday 4/24 GHOST TEXT

[selfloving]

((but if zange can't receive ghost text let me know please and i'll change it tomorrow!))

Are you quite all right?

[No telling if this is concern or a roundabout way of asking 'what the fuck is going on,' but there's probably at least a little of both.]

[selfloving]

[The truth is, it doesn't matter much to her, but she keeps her expression neutral. One has thrown every single one of these backstabbing cutthroats into the same basket, even if only half of them did any backstabbing.]

Regrettably, sometimes this world tries to punish those would act as heroes.

[crossingout]

Of course I'm not. Someone is doing indiscriminate killing in this town.

[raisingproject]

Hostages are common. [His voice is soft. If one weren't studying his face they wouldn't see the exhaustion painted on it.]

It is their objective to stop the game. They don't always agree with the master. [He hadn't. He had desperately searched for another way.]

They've privy to more but not that much more. It might be insurance. It might be to keep Fav from realizing they are moving to stop them. It never ends well.

[partyleader]

[She's been quiet so far, but Nanami will gently interject here.]

If people have to be on the tower to hear us, is there a way we could lead them there instead? We need to conserve our mana, but if all of us worked together to lead them there... maybe the drain wouldn't be quite so bad?

[raisingproject]

The technology was brought in. It's not made of Mana, [Hinata says as he leans slightly glancing to the girl with a sword. She stirs and her hand falls to where the hilt would have been before she remembers. She speaks as quietly as he had.]

The town is made of mana and the barrier. The ten rooms...I am not my mother who could tell you easily how magic moved but, I know enough. We were the source powering the town against our will. Some of us are free now...probably too many.

[partyleader]

[Nanami's heart clenches when she sees him. The look on his face...] Kaine-san... [Her voice is quiet, only a murmur really, but it's not like he can hear her anyway...

It's Monday and there's been no announcement, so he's still alive, right?]

I wish I could say something to you...

Tuesday

[yourdreamismydream]

[His memories are fuzzy and blurry, indistinct, but Taiki can recall the pink and white blur he saw before- before-

A flash of pain and then too much nothing and Taiki wakes up with a loud shout that echoes in... his room at the inn?]

Wha... [He raises shaking hands to his neck. It doesn't hurt but he can remember the flash of pain, and he keeps having to touch the skin there to remind himself it isn't cut.] What... [For better or worse, all he can remember is the pain of the incision - and not the decapitation itself.

For a long time, Taiki will sit there trembling on his bed, fingers pressing into his neck unsteadily. Perhaps that's how you'll find him, or maybe it will be after he's read the message and realized that he is, in fact, dead.

Later still, he'll wander out of the inn and you might run into him here instead. Taiki may not know what his destination is, exactly, but he'll explore the town to find something, anything that he can do.

He might be dead, but he's not going to leave the living to fend for themselves if he can find some way to help.]

[crossingout]

You're finally awake.

[The voice that speaks inside of his room is Zange's, who is sitting on the corner of the bed with one leg crossed over the other. Her voice is listless, almost melancholic, but it's there.]

I should say good morning, but it honestly isn't one.

[yourdreamismydream]

[Taiki jumps at the sound of her voice.] Z-Zange?! [Why is she in his room-

Wait.

No.

She... shouldn't be able to see him at all, unless-]

Y-you... [He swallows hard.] Zange, you... died?

[Guilt hits him hard and fast, even before she has a chance to respond with whatever she'll say. Because he failed. He didn't just die, but Zange...

...In the end, he wasn't able to protect the people he cared about, was he?]

[crossingout]

Don't assume I'm dead just because I'm here. I'm sorry... I should have been able to protect you. But then again, I've never been able to protect a single person for a very long time.

[yourdreamismydream]

Zange, no, please don't apologize- [His throat tightens, and he has to blink fast to keep his eyes clear.] It... isn't your fault. I... wanted to protect you, too, but like this... [He shuts his eyes tight.] I can't do anything to keep you safe...

[If he hadn't died, he would have tried to cover, maybe, say that he wanted to protect everyone rather than just saying her...

But there's no point in hiding anything anymore, is there?

Something catches his attention, though.] If... you aren't dead, though... How are you able to see me?

[crossingout]

Because... that's one of the many abilities that I have, as a goddess. Well, it's also something that Hakua has.

[yourdreamismydream]

[Confusion spreads across his face. The words that Zange says make sense, but he doesn't understand.]

But I thought... Everyone loses their powers when they come here, don't they? Did you get yours back already?

[It could've happened and he just didn't notice... There are things that Zange hasn't wanted to tell him before, so...

But, wait-]

...Who is Hakua, though?

[crossingout]

I had mine from the very beginning. As for Hakua? She's the person this body belongs to.

[yourdreamismydream]

[Both things cause him to jerk his head back with shock. What? What does that even mean...?]

But how...? How did you have them from the beginning, and- And Hakua- [He swallows hard, grips the blankets beneath him to give his hands something to do other than shake. There's something that pounds at his temple, like a warning, his mind working fast to put things together and not liking the results its getting. The answer is there, probably - he's close to it, could get there if he pressed probably, but it's a destination that he doesn't want to arrive at.] Are you... possessing her or something? What happened to her?

[A sick, anxious feeling clenches in his gut. Zange...]

[crossingout]

Because I was the one who brought everyone here.

[She gives this as her very simple response. But there are other questions to be answered, so she decides to continue.]

However, you are correct. I am possessing her. It's not as if I'm doing it without her permission, however.