Realistic or Modern death//reDefined | A Urban Fantasy Adventure - Open

[TheAdventureBegins]

Juniper
Monday Morning, September 11, 2027
Mentions: FiveElemental KapMcflow Orikanyo
♦♦♦♦

It is said most of the time when someone is shot in the head from behind they don’t even hear the gun before they die; you simply exist and then don’t, no time to relive a flash of memories, no time to see the tunnel. One moment Juniper was huddled in the cleanest air of the room the next she was hurtling herself out of a comfortable bed drenched in sweat. The room wasn’t her old dorm from high school, but it looked similar, like the ones from the college brochure she had read.

Her feet had hardly been secured on the floor before a loud BOOM sent her falling to her knees, hands covering her head as memories of the night before played over and over again. What was the meaning of this? Had she just had one fucked up dream? Juniper’s eyes scanned the room and shook her head slowly to herself-no, the dream had been too vivid, too real to not have happened. A hallucination then? Juniper had experimented with Acid and mushrooms before, and could believe maybe it had been that.

Still huddled on the floor, loud rain could be heard pounding the roof above, but her head refused to release her. It was too much to take in; did the DR or one of those boys slip something in her drink, was this all an evil prank? Slowly, her memory pulled up the prick she had felt upon putting on the watch, it hadn’t been much, almost unnoticeable- but she had noticed it, and she was sure that it had been when they drugged them. What was their purpose? Were they all a part of some grand social experiment? She definitely hadn’t signed any agreement waivers to be a part of any studies.

Juniper hadn’t even realized how long she had been there huddled next to her bed waiting for either the ceiling to fall in on her, or for everything to make sense- neither happened. Eventually she drug herself back sitting on the edge of bed and let out a loud sigh, her gaze finally settled on the camera next to her bed. That’s strange, she wouldn’t ever leave that expensive model out, usually any camera she kept by bed were her cheap ones.

‘YOU! TAKE A PICTURE OF THIS THING AND FOLLOW THE REST OF YOUR CLASSMATES’ Juniper jumped to snatch the camera up from the spot it had been left, remembering the last instructions the man had left before he sacrificed himself for them. It took a second for the camera to turn on and only a second longer to see that the last photo she had taken was the one of Dr.Miyuki alit in the fire’s glow. No monster’s insight.

A flash on her wrist drew her attention away from her own short-comings and threw her through another loop of confusion. It flashed a completely normal, mundane class name and location. Could she trust this place though, was it just another hell trap waiting to warp her mind? She quickly snoozed the notice and flopped back in bed- what was she going to do? How could she continue to go to a school that very clearly didn’t care about informed consent. . . But how could she turn away now? These people had drugged her, and to what purpose? She had to figure it out, there was no going home, no turning back until she figured things out!

Renewed with purpose Juniper got herself ready with the quickest shower and dressed in more of her older and rugged clothes-she wasn’t so sure when she would need to run anymore- a pair of hiking boots, worn black combat pants, and a red long sleeve flannel with her rain jacket. The smell of breakfast greeted her when finally the woman opened her door and stepped out with a different model of camera hooked around her neck.

Still hesitant, so wary Juniper slowly moved down the quiet hallways, taking in anything she could before she could view a few of the people from last night. A breath of relief released from her chest, she had no clue she was that concerned for these people. Juniper glanced around for the young Sylvia, wondering if the drugs affected her -being so young and small- any different from them.

“How is everyone this morning?” Juniper questioned from the hallway leading to the stairs up to her second-floor room.

“Did you make the food, or was it already here?” She questioned warily as she walked farther into the room, her stomach growling loudly at the spread in front of them. Juniper was sure she could clear a whole plate, but was wary about anything the school provided for them now.

 

[Azukai]

Orikanyo KapMcflow TheAdventureBegins FiveElemental

The force of the thunder, rumbling the room, did nothing to waken Sylvia from her slumber. Even the alarm clock accomplished nothing more than receiving a sharp thwack against its upper body. With a light groan, she buried herself back into the comfort of her blanket's plush warmth, and soon, her light snores began filling the room once more. Ten minutes went by...twenty...soon nearly half an hour had passed with no immediate signs of her waking up. She did seem somewhat more agitated, however--to the point that her body began to toss and turn, and her words began to convey her grumbling annoyance, "Ten more minutes."

Had anyone been watching, it might have been cute to observe her reactions to whatever dream threatened her sleep, but from Sylvia's perspective things were wholly different. The sensation of a warm hand, gently patting her against the cheek, left her somewhat irritated in her now, half-awakened state. "I said ten more minutes, August." This time her tone was clearly vexed, as she flung her arm upward and knocked away the pestering hand.

There was a small sigh, followed by a deeper male voice who spoke with clear humor in his tone. "You're going to be late for class, Silvy."

The voice was enough to send a rush of emotions through Sylvia. Immediately, she flung herself into a seated position and opened her eyes to a scene of utter shock. "H-How....Wh-Why are you....here?" She spluttered at the white-haired boy who sat on the end table with his legs joyfully dangling. Her response was a small smile and wave, just before the boy's existence faded into nothingness--his last words lingering in the air for a few seconds there after. "Get stronger, sis."

Adrenaline coursed through Sylvia's veins. With little effort, she flung away her comforter, jumped out of bed, and burst into the outer hallway of the house. "August...!" She exclaimed at a volume that neared a shout, but quickly fell silent upon realizing the only person within her vicinity was Juniper. Her face turned beet red--not only from the sudden ruckus she had caused, but also from the fact that she was still dressed in her pastel-colored, bunny ear hooded pajamas.

I hate it here. She thought to herself before falling to the ground and burying herself into her hood and fluffy sleeves.

 

[Orikanyo]

Mike

The man stared at the scene before him... It was a dorm, just a dorm. Nothing else, just a hall, just a room just a...

Girl laying on the floor in a bunny onesie looking very unhappy....

And the other girl, he didn't know her name, nor did he know the one currently on the floor, but out of all the things he'd seen today he had to agree, flopping onto the floor and grumbling was the best way to express one's disapproval of the situation... But... Well... There was also that smell. He was by no means a picky eater, Mom's wierd food choices made sure of that... But that smelled good...

Good.... Yes focus on good... He want food... Yes...

As his brain devolved back into a lizard he walked past the ladies in the hall, not before giving an ever helpful "Same bruh." To the girl on the floor, careful to avoid the bunny ears on the floor, but went down to the living area... Place was more like a house than anything... A big house too... "Man... This is either heaven... Or hell got a few upgrades..." he let his words out as he found...

"Oh hey its the knife dude. Sup, you dead too?"

FiveElemental Azukai TheAdventureBegins

 

[FiveElemental]

Peter
7:01 A.M.
Morning
Dormitory Livingroom

His ears perked up the sudden shift in sound. "Looks like they're up." As he opened his eyes a he heard his roommate coming down. Waiting a bit, he heard a energetic, but weary voice come from upstairs.

"How is everyone this morning?” She said as he heard her making slight thumping, walking of the stairs, a she saw the beautiful spread of delectable foods and sweets littering the dinning table near the kitchen. She cleaerly could hardly recognize many the the dishes set there, however, she saw what looked like eclairs on one of the many plates, and a wonderful pot of fresh coffee was on the kitchen counter. Peter smirked at the obvious shock that displayed on her face, and we was all for it.

“Did you make the food, or was it already here?” She said, with wearily intent, but couldn't hold the reservations for long as he heard her stomach growling loudly. Peter let out a small chuckle.

"Aye, don't worry, everything here was made by yours truly, none of the ingredients I used were rotten, I can assure you that. Please, don't hold back, pick out whatever is to your liking." He responded with immense confidence, he knows he is not be the smartest, or most athletic person, or even the greatest chef in the world, but he is absolutely certain of one thing. No matter who eats his cooking, it's always the best thing they've eaten.

"Oh hey its the knife dude. Sup, you dead too?" He heard the next person come downstairs. "Knife dude? What kind of name is that, be a bit more creative will yah? Either way, I can tell by the look on your face you're starving. Please, pick out as much as you want." He says, gesturing at the mountain on food laying on the table. "And, no I'm not dead, honestly what kind of question is that? I'm fairly certain you can tell a dead person from a living person apart. Hell, I'm not even dead tired." Peter shakes his head. "Oh right, I don't think I've introduced myself, name's Peter, Peter Fairday." He said with a joyful smile. "Now, please dig in before it gets cold!" He said, shoving an empty plate into the hands of his new roommates.

 

[KapMcflow]

Azukai

Nari could hear footsteps shuffling down the hall. The aroma of delectable edibles began to fill the air. They caressed her nostrils, activating the saliva glands in her mouth. Nari had be in the common room by herself. A couple of couches, a flat screen, computers, and a pool table were present. "As common as it gets around here," she thought aloud. She hadn't wanted to explore the rest of the dormitory. Not yet. The fear of possibly confronting the others who had been there last night dawned on her. Meeting one of them again could indeed confirm the lucidity of her wackadoodle "dream". Although she wasn't a novice to the dark side of life and the spiritual world, she couldn't bring herself to accept the validity of how fickle and illusive her world was.

Nari's stomach growled in hunger. It felt almost as if a punch in her belly pushed her to get up from the couch and follow the smell of food. Reluctantly, Nari slipped back on her slippers and tightened her thick ankle length robe. Before exiting the common room, she couldn't help but notice the alarm on her wristband alerting her of her first class in an hour. "Almost forgot about this damned thing", she cursed to herself. Closing the common door behind her, Nari couldn't help but notice a small silhouette curled up on the hallway floor. Moving closer, she realized the familiar body belonging to the young Sylvia she had seen the night before. Nari shuttered before a freezing sensation consumed her body. Her own words echoed through her astounded brain:

"We need to get the hell out of here while we can!"

Nari instantly snapped back to the present. Her instincts had been to run along side of Sylvia immediately asking if she was okay, but then Sylvia's own words flashed through her mind.

"You idiot!"

Dream or not, this Sylvia character didn't seem to care much for others feelings. She had a defensive yet blatant vulnerable energy to her that made Nari almost pass her up. However, it had become clear to Nari that the same things she saw in Sylvia, existed within herself. Softening her tense body, she decided to go to Sylvia's side on the ground. Being careful that her robe did not expose her as she stooped down. Placing a gentle hand on her back, Nari spoke,

"Hey idiot. Everything alright? Or are we going to sit on the floor all day?"

 

[TheAdventureBegins]

Juniper
Monday Morning, September 11, 2027
Mentions: Azukai KapMcflow FiveElemental Orikanyo
♦♦♦♦

Even with the guy's assurance that the food was safe-rotten was not even close to what she was worrying about- she was hesitant about it, but she still stepped closer to the table. Suddenly the voice of young Sylvia stopped her in her tracks. Similar to her other roommates, flashbacks from the night before were all too common right then. It almost took her breath away, but instead she turned on her heels, pushed past the newcomer to the room, and fled to the source of the noise; only to come to a screeching stop a bit aways just noticing Nari kneeling and soothing the visibly upset girl.

Juniper’s hand’s shook, once again she hadn’t fully realized how worried she had become for these other people. She wanted to kneel next to Nari and check on Sylvia too, but the little knowledge she had on the girl made her wary-she didn’t want too much comfort last night, why would she want that from Juniper now? More likely than not, Juniper doting on her might make her angry, or even hate her. Slowly and quietly Juniper backed off down the hall, going against every instinct she had to pull everyone into a hug. She didn’t even know these people! Yet, maybe death-like experiences were all you needed to make lasting bonds.

She got back to the two boys just as the chef shot down the other boys suggested nickname-Knife dude. She visibly cringed out of their view, best not to bring up her own given nicknames for the two of them.

“Thank you.” With a small smile she grabbed the plate offered by the chef-Peter, finally she knew his name, but it was anyone's guess if she would remember- and sat down. The first thing she did was get herself a cup of coffee, the creamer she had made sure to send from home sitting next to it which she poured gratefully.

Gee did she need a good cup of coffee, yet she was still hesitant as she looked down at the mug. She felt so sure they had drugged her, she was so worried they would drug her again, but at the same time. . . What would be the point? She didn’t know their purpose for doing it the night before, but for them to do it again so soon seemed a little unlikely. Eventually she took a drink of the hot liquid and sat back a little more content than she was before.

“I’m Juniper by the way, it’s nice to. . . actually meet you. . .And thanks again.” She waved her hand in front of her to encompass the food, but she meant for last night too. Juniper wasn’t going to bring up Peter’s and the other guys' sacrifices as there was a massive chance she had hallucinated that point and they never actually did fight off crazed football player monsters.

Juniper’s hand stopped mid air over one of the eclairs as it came back to her, were those boys real too? Their deaths had been so real, but she supposed they could have been hired actors, really selling the prank. Juniper’s hands closed around the eclair and she brought it back, chewing on it as she speculated over all the many possibilities.

 

[Orikanyo]

Mike Anderson.

"...Yea..." Mike pauses to scratch his nose, the food was smelling good... Screw it... He rummaged around the area for a plate, finding one, glass? Man, they went out stocking this place, he's lived half a year off paper plates... Though... He wouldn't recommend it to anybody, since the whole trash thing was an issue... It.. wasn't the best part of his life either. Money being tough, small time work... Having to break out of student debt...

He was in a better place now, at least.. But...

"...Look man as much as I wana jsut gloss over that situation back there.. I disctinctly remember trying to stab a monster to death as it was eatting my face... And, well, gonna paint me a bad picture, I've HAD bad trips before. Been spiked once too, and that shit.

That shit goes pretty beyond a guided high..." The young man's hand shook as he remembered, staring down the monster's gapping maw. "..Or.. Or am I just out of the loop? Did I sign up for some wierd shit without knowing? Cause they don't send you to college to be a movie extra who gets eaten by the monsters." He spoke his thoughts, toying with some scrambled eggs, which were in his opinion supierior type of egg production. Well, to his tastes anyways, it's simple, with abit of milk in the prep with pepper really gives it a simply wholesome taste and fill.

"...Cause like, I know theres some wicked wierd stuff, but if they just hit us with that Delphi brand volcanic oracle gases thats one hazeing i'd really never like to have happen again."

 

[Azukai]

KapMcflow

"Yes, I'm fine. And you didn't hear anything."

Sylvia's tone was far harsher than she intended. This mistake only added to her embarrassment, leaving her scrambling to her feet in an attempt to leave. Once standing, she made a quick beeline for her room, though she did pause by the door to glance back at Nari. Internally, she felt apologetic for her words and wanted to make sure Nari didn't seem too hurt. Strangely enough, however, her peer seemed entirely unmoving. Even her arm, which should have fallen back to her side, remained frozen in the air. A twinge of curiosity and concern bubbled up in Sylvia's gut, but the level of anxiety she was currently experiencing far outweighed any other emotion. With a shake of her head, she slipped into her room and shut the door as gently as she could.

Spoiler: Within Nari's Conscious

Nari was experiencing a peculiar sensation. From the moment she touched Sylvia's back, her conscious had dissociated from reality. Gone was the hallway and stairs, gone were her peers, gone was the savory smell of breakfast—all of it had been replaced by a dim lit room with a hazy atmosphere of incense smoke. Very little was visible except for the lone girl who sat across from Nari. Everything about her appearance suggested an oriental scholar—one that was swamped with work and noticeably tired. Her eyelids were struggling to stay open as she rapidly wrote foreign characters on her lengthy scroll.

“You aren’t useful enough yet to be here.” She muttered in an annoyed tone. Without even lifting her head to acknowledge Nari’s arrival, she flicked her quill at the girl. Blood rushed forward and splattered across Nari’s face, immediately expelling her conscious from the realm and back into reality.

The blood still remained on Nari’s face, dripping onto the floor as it dribbled down her chin.

 

[KapMcflow]

"You didn't hear anything," Sylvia hissed to Nari.

Except the fact that Nari indeed hadn't heard anything. There'd be no response to sour-puss Sylvia as Nari's body froze once more, this time against her will. Her bodied tingled like a thousand tiny needles pressing into her all at once. One after another in synchronicity, pricking her delicate skin. Just as soon as the sensation had begun- it stopped. The dormitory hall and doors melted away like ice cubes, and Nari found herself in an enclosed room. The heavily scented room nauseated Nari. Sat in what she suspected was a chair, Nari frantically scanned the darkened room with her eyes. She was unable to make out anything besides a young woman--a scholar of some sorts-- sitting across from her. The young woman spoke to Nari, with insinuation that Nari had interrupted her space. Fever dream, Nari thought to herself exhausted. You're lying on your death bed as we speak. Nari, you're experiencing a series of quantum leaps into other dimensions as your soul is slowly but surely slipping from your bod--

SPLAT!

Nari's futile attempt to convince herself of Near Death Awareness was interrupted by a thick, wet, and cold goop of blood slathered across her face. The horror she expressed was unimaginable. Nari's face scrunched up, her eyes shut tight, and her fists balled up. Even if she was dying, there was no way in hell she was going to accidently get foreign and untraceable blood in her mouth. Just the thought of such a thing made her stomach flip like pancakes. If she hadn't been as hungry before--she had entirely lost her appetite now.

Nari gasped for air. It hadn't occurred to her that she was holding her breath for the duration of the short meeting? Unfortunately, as her mouth gaped open, a trickle of blood crept smooth onto her lip and then onto her tongue. In fact, the blood had still remained, leaving a small pool stain on the hallway carpet. Completely overwhelmed, distressed, and quite exhausted from the prior events, Nari stood still in disbelief. Her face showed no expression, yet her body showed defeat. "I'm...going...to...take...a...shower," Nari said robotic-like. Though no one was around, she spoke aloud almost to kickstart her brain to cooperate with her body. However, little did the others know, that those words would be her last for a long while. Nari's head slouched and bobbed with each slow and methodical foot step as she dragged herself back to her dorm.

 

[Azukai]

HumbugPie

~8:00 AM
Monday, September 11, 2027
Fracture Academics, Main Street

Even in the early morning hours, Main Street was filled with a sizable population of students. Since it was the first day of class, many of them were filled to the brim with the classic start-of-the-semester energy. Fracture classes were nothing like ordinary college courses. They were much more intimate, being that they held a mere handful of students in any single course. Because of this, first impressions with the professors were that much more impactful, and being on time, if not a little early, was one of the first, easiest steps in building a solid relationship.

Most of the shops on Main Street were closed. Only those which offered services such as breakfast or supplies had their doors open to the occasional student who would wander in. This was by design, since a majority of students attended morning classes. Not only would it be harder to find part-time workers, but also the lack of guests would mean no money being made. This made the House of Dominion all the more peculiar for being open.

The House of Dominion wasn't your standard shop. While its counterparts were focused around the college experience, the House of Dominion was a metaphysical shop that wasn't even located on the street's storefront. It was hidden several yards down one of Main Street's back alleys, and had a very standout appearance to boot. Nothing about it reflected the modern, city-like architecture that Fracture had. Instead, it was cottage-core experience straight from the countryside, with numerous types of flower-bearing vines overtaking its stone exterior. As expected, not a single student was within its walls--only the wide selection of items which stretched across countless cultures of the world, and the literal jungle of plants that covered every other inch of once-available space. Not even a worker was present in the shop, being that he was currently standing on Main Street.

Shun was leaning up against a closed shopfront where he had been for the last half an hour. Nothing about his appearance made him stand out from the mass of students. Hence, it would have been a shock when he suddenly appeared in front of Samantha and addressed her in a firm, almost commanding tone.

"박선희, please follow me. The Madam requests your audience." Without further word, he turned away and started walking down the alleyway, back towards the House of Dominion.

 

[HumbugPie]

Samantha
Monday morning, September 11th, 2027

“It is just typical that on the most important day of my life so far, I have to be late,” Samantha muttered under her breath in disappointment as she got off of the Fracture tram, “I hate being late, it makes a bad impression.” Although currently Samantha was beating herself up, she knew that she was late for good reason - coming out of the airport after her arrival and making her way to the train station, a quiet sound emerged from around the corner of a building down an alleyway. She probably wouldn’t have noticed this, but as she walked down the pavement and past the alley, the squeaking, helpless sound became louder until it was intelligible; it was the sound of kittens crying for help. Being the animal lover that she is, Samantha went to the source of the sound and found a litter of kittens in a cardboard box that only looked about a week old with no mother in sight. She got her phone out to look at the time, closing her eyes and taking a big inhale and then sighing before looking back down at the poor kittens, “I can’t leave you here, can I?” And with that, a day long adventure to find a vet and then a suitable shelter began. Samantha wouldn’t settle until they were safe.

Fast forward to Monday morning, after getting off of the tram, Samantha took her first look at the campus with her blood-shot, half closed, exhausted looking eyes, “this wasn’t the vision I had of my first day, being late and half-awake.” But still, the sight of the tall glass buildings and the beautiful topiary gave her a buzz of excitement down her spine. Walking further down the road, she took her backpack from off of her shoulder, standing still for a moment and rummaging around in the vast portal of the front pocket to reach her phone.

Recipient

them

Hi 딸, I hope you arrived safely. You know I’m so proud of you for following your dreams and getting into Fracture. I’m at work at my usual times this week, so remember I won’t be able to call or message before 5pm. I can’t wait to hear about your first day!

them

Samantha? Please message me to let me know you’ve gotten to campus.

me

Hey 아빠! I’m okay, just had a little bit of an unexpected detour. I’m going to be late to arrive. Abandoned kittens, couldn’t just leave them out in the cold.

them

Oh you do surprise me! 😛 Though you’ll be late, I’m proud of you for sticking with your morals.

​

Samantha smiled in amusement at his sarcasm and messaged her appa back to let him know she had arrived at campus safely after her kitten ordeal. Putting her phone back into her backpack, continuing her walk down the Main Street, she admired the beautiful modern architecture surrounding her. Her mind was brought back to her past, specifically her mother and the perfectionism she had to upkeep in her childhood. A sad look and glazed, distant eyes came across her face for a split second, before she snapped out of it and looked around herself again - she had made it. She had made it to the starting line of her dreams. With that thought, she was brought even more back into reality as a man she had never met before addressed her commandingly by name, her Korean name no less. “Madam? What Madam?” she said in a slightly accusatory tone as she followed the man to wherever he was going, “you know that’s a very odd way to greet someone you’ve never even met? A ‘hello, I’m x, it’s nice to meet you. What’s your name?’ is usually advised.”

 

[Azukai]

HumbugPie
~8:20 AM
Fracture Academics, Main Street

Despite Samantha's comments, Shun kept walking in silence. It was only after he had reached the front door of the shop, that he turned and responded to the statements she had made. "It is also usually advised to not follow strangers into back alleys, yet here we are." His tone was rather smug, and his face had developed a noticeable smirk. Nonetheless, such complacency was merely fleeting as he entered into the shop without any further comments.

The interior of the shop was far more elegant than anyone might have expected from a metaphysical store. Every piece of furniture, including the shelves, display cases, and general décor, were quality, hand crafted pieces that could have easily sold for a sizable sum. Even the store products were far beyond the quality one might have seen at other similar stores. As expected, the price tags also reflected the quality, being that even the smaller rocks and quartzes were being sold at double digits costs.

The immediate salesfloor was a square room with a series of tray display cases in the center and fancier glass cases around its perimeter. The center cases held items such as the quartzes, rocks, sage, and other standard faire; whereas, the cases on the perimeter held the premium, custom made items such as hand-drawn tarot decks, statues, cauldrons, and more. Towards the back of the room was a wispy curtain that divided another area of the shop from the front.

Shun never stopped moving on the salesfloor, and instead went directly through the curtain and out of sight. "Please follow." He mentioned--his last words before silence befell the store.

The backroom was not a storage room like one might have guessed. Anyone passing through the curtain would have immediately been hit by the overpowering scent of medicinal herbs. Other than the smell, however, the small nook was rather cozy, given the plush, occupied daybed which sat towards the back of the room. The occupant in question was quite fantastical and rather delicate in appearance. She was gently sleeping against an oversized pillow, unaware of the guests which had entered into her room.

"There is a choice you must make." Shun would have said once Samantha had settled herself into the room. "It would be in the best interest of your well-being and life to turn away and leave this academy. But if you truly believe in the convictions that have brought you here, then place your hand upon the glass orb which rests next to the Madam."


FiveElemental Orikanyo TheAdventureBegins KapMcflow
~8:10 AM
Fracture Academics, Ravenwood Dorm

Back in the dorm, everyone's wristbands began vibrating at once. Under normal circumstances, any incoming phone calls would have required the acceptance of the recipient, yet in this case, the call simple auto-connected after a couple of vibrations. Immediately, a male voice began speaking in a rather bored tone, "I expected more diligent students in my class. Like really? None of you have started coming yet?"

The call simply hung up.

 

[FiveElemental]

Peter
7:12 A.M.
Morning
Dormitory Livingroom

Peter Fairday, son of the Fairday, a reasurant who man focus of providing the best meals for it's customers, especially towards the regulars. He has learned many important lessons in that tiny, in the walls diner, and one of the most important lessons he has learned in his cullinary journey was perhaps the simple lesson of, you are what you eat. As Peter has been simply observing his roommates picking out their breakfast with a smile. Nodding along to the choice of breakfast they wished for. "Interesting" As he waited for them to take their first bite.

Juniper picked out the handmade Chocolate Eclairs, and the pot of coffee he brewed up, as she pulled out a small pack of creamer. Peter shot up from his seat to intercept. "Hey, uh... if you could indulge this chef for a bit, how you eat my food shouldn't determine how much you'll enjoy what they have prepared for you, but can you try the coffee without any creamer first? I'd be delighted if you did." As he eyed up the creamer in her hand. "It'll make you enjoy the creamer you have even futher." As Juniper took a taste of the uncreamed coffee, her eyes shot open, not from the hot caffine, but the enriching and mildly sweet, and nutty flavor that really harmonized out the intense bitterness of the coffee, as Juniper took a nice, long draw from the coffee. Juniper quickly added creamer to the rest of the coffee as she tasted it again, not really understandning how just a already sweetened coffee will taste better with her homemade creamer. As she took another draw from the mug, as she first tasted only the bitterness of the coffee, but suddenly, a kick of intense sweetness enveloped her mouth, as her homemade creamer, which was quite sweet, had became incredibly sweet, contrasting the bitterness of the coffee in a strange, but harmonized dance.

Mike picked out the simple looking scrambled egg, as Peter smiled even further, as Mike took the first bite. Mike tasted a delicious, juicy, salty, chickeny flavor exploded from the scrambled eggs, as Mike quickly noticed the source of this unnatural flavor, a strange, unnatural golden sheam that coated the scrambled egg. As the simple, scrambled egg became a delicious, energizing, gourmet meal.

Peter looked at his roommates with a smug grin. "What do yah think? It's the best right? Please, enjoy! Cuz, I'm quite hungry too!" As Peter joined in the breakfast feast.

Peter
8:20 A.M.
Morning
Dormatory Entrance

As Peter was finishing up wiping down the hand washed dishes, and packing away his cooking tools into his case, he felt the buzz of his wristband of the call incoming, He looked down at the wristband on his leg... as a bored male voice came through it, saying that we're not diligent for not getting to his class, as quickly getting off the table, he rushed up to his room to grab his stuff; Backpack, Phone, Map of the Campus and his case of cooking tools. As he began knocking on every room to have them get up for their first class. As he waited for everyone to assemble at the entrance of the Dorm.

 

[TheAdventureBegins]

Juniper
Monday Morning, September 11, 2027
Mentions: FiveElemental Orikanyo
♦♦♦♦

Juniper had taken her first bite of eclair when the last guy to show up finally began talking about the night before, mirroring some of the thoughts in her own head. She found herself shaking her head slightly at his logic. She chewed on her tongue, unsure to respond, to reveal any of her current thoughts, but couldn’t help herself- Juniper was never really good at self-control.

“Drugs could easily be the explanation though, maybe it hasn’t been anything you’ve tried, or anything anyone has tried. . .” She trailed off leaving the inferred portion of them being test subjects. Juniper grimaced a little at this thought and once again shook her head, trying to clear it.

“I don’t know. . . I gotta go, you two have a good day.” Juniper grabbed her mug of coffee and éclair before she turned and left out the front door. A harsh, fresh gust of stormy wind blew in her face, and she stopped to breathe it in deep. The rain had stopped for a moment giving her enough comfort to stand outside on the wet front steps. The wind whistled through the trees, and if she closed her eyes she was almost home. Juniper wished she could call her parents, talk to them and get input on some matters, but they were out of the country for a few weeks mixing a huge work conference with a long vacation.

Juniper should have walked the distance to class, but with the siren's song of wind and trees it was easy for her to just step off and disappear. It was a little chilly but not something she couldn’t just ignore. Even walking in a random direction Juniper wasn’t too concerned about getting lost, after all the whole campus was surrounded by a huge fence; they had boasted about it multiple times when she was looking into the school.

Could the night before have actually been real like the guy was maybe suggesting? Yet how could it have been real? Juniper had literally blacked out from them, managed to get to her unknown dorm and sleep a whole night. She kicked at some leaves as she finished the coffee and éclair. At this point she was deep in the woods, at peace with things around her when a horrible thought crossed her mind; if things had been real what stops something like the monsters before picking her off out there. Juniper was frozen in place when she literally stomped her foot and took off forward again; no, they wouldn’t ruin her love of the woods, it had been just a bad trip last night and she was fine.

The buzz of her wrist sent a gasp of shock out of Juniper’s mouth, eyes wide she listened to the voice on the other side. Was she really already that late? She tapped the face of the watch again to look at the class number, and to see if the stupid thing had a compass. She tried messing with it and finally pulled up a map showing her where she was. She input the class room number and luckily enough it showed her the best path for her to get out of the woods, it sure was smarter than her phone. Juniper didn’t walk there right away, instead she questioned what was going to be waiting for her. They drugged them in orientation, forced horrible hallucinations on them with probably robotic football players-Juniper had decided the football players had never been human in the first place- and who knew what they would do for class number one. . . Yet, maybe they would also explain things.

Juniper took off in a light jog that turned into a sprint along the path the watch showed. In much faster time than she would have made it on her own, Juniper arrived at the first class. She was out of breath, nothing changed there. She needed to run more if she didn’t want the uncomfortable burning in her lungs to be an always thing. Juniper leaned on the building to catch her breath, holding her sides and bending over slightly as she did so. Eventually she made it up the front steps and into the class for Introduction to Fracture Academics.

 

[Orikanyo]

Mike Anderson


"...Ah..." it was clear... Nobody was going to really give too much credit to his words yet... Well... Not to mention that voice on the wristband came up. demanding normality in a sense. Guess he should himself think on what comes next rather than worry. But being late? he wasn't late, old bugger probably if one of those grouchy old coots who says stuff like that pretending to be some wise old man with expectations hoping it'll make him sound smart.

Screw it... he was tired of thinking about this, if he was going to be in hell, and on a time limit, he may as well adhere to it on the first day...

Even if yesterdays events are well worthy of a sit at home and do nothing but play games and read manga day...

"tsk... Whatever..." The man stood up and cleared whatever may be stuck to him off, he quickly went back to his room, got properly dressed, got his crap together, checked his laptop quickly for any surprises or signs of fiddling by the handlers the previous night before.. No signs.. But it means nothing. He'll know fully soon.

He takes his privacy seriously, as should anybody really, this may be a big business and company, but the line stands clear in the sand where it lays on human rights, he will hold that line even if others don't give a damn.

His departure from the building was swift, even if the voice on the wristband was annoying, he wasn't going to just be late the first day.

His pace was that one a fast strut, a man on a mission as it were, he withdrew the map from his pocket and kept close watch, noteing things as he passed, landmarks made it easy to find the way through, if it was good enough for ancient wayfarers, it was a good enough tactic for him to use. Now he had to... yes a left here... Right...

Yes, here we are... Ah.. Seems that Juniper girl was here to.. At least he knew he wasn't late, best go inside and get it all done.

In he went, abit after Juniper, if for any other reason waiting to not see like he followed her there.. They were going to the same place, but social awkwardness was... well.. Just a thing.

 

[KapMcflow]

FiveElemental
----------
Nari shivered exiting the shower. The heat of the steamy water mixed with the air conditioning created thick fog and dew on the bathroom mirror. She wiped her hand across the glass, creating a clear vision of herself. Taking a deep sigh, Nari's face was stale in expression. Her eyes looked as if they had swallowed a black hole, and her mouth was tense, lips sealed tightly together like glue. She grabbed a brush, attempting to make herself look as presentable as possible. However, she knew no amount of grooming could mask the dark cloud that had formed above her. Boulders weighed on her shoulders as the fear of potentially being stuck in some sort of psychosis was growing truer each moment.

Nari stepped back into the dorm room. Clothes thrown across the floor with no organization laid comfortably in the chaos. She had been looking for something dark to wear. In Nari's mind, this would allow her to not stand out in the crowd. Subconsciously even reflecting her inner world of gloom. Nari shuttered as the watch on her wrist vibrated-- a voice emitting from it. The watch that started it all, she thought. Perhaps the source of the hallucinations---God I'm such an idiot. Her nerves catapulted as a loud bang on the door erupted. Nari's heart skipped a beat before beating in her chest like a congo drum. She grabbed some gray baggy sweats, and black cotton jacket, and some dark purple Puma slides, and put them on. Quickly, she finger combed her dark strands of hair into a low ponytail before setting the hood onto her head. She grabbed her brown tote that had only a pencil, pen, notebook, and a copy of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying-- a book her high school Social Studies teacher had gifted for graduation.

Nari exited her dorm, passing the spot where she had hallucinated earlier. No longer was there any trace of spilled blood. Pushing forward in angst, she passed the dormitory kitchen where she had smelled all sorts of foods. However, the kitchen sparkled like clear waters. No trace of food could be seen except for a restaurant-grade chopping knife on the counter. Had I imagined this as well? She eerily thought. It took a minute before Nari realized she had been staring at the chopping knife for some time, while rubbing the smartwatch on her wrist. Stop playing, Nari. Let's go. Can't be late, her inner voice rang. She tore her eyes from the kitchen tool and continued downstairs. Nari noticed Peter had still been waiting at the front. Everyone else seemed to have had made their way to class already. She approached him cautiously with eye contact. She nodded towards him to let him know she'd accompany him to class. The entire walk, there'd be no chatter. Just loud awkward silence.

 

[Azukai]

The trek from the dorm was undoubtedly miserable. Fracture prided itself on green environments, which for the Ravenwood students, meant unkempt, soggy wilderness. It wasn't a pretty walk thanks to the storm, and the only consolation was that proper sidewalks existed halfway.

Sylvia was in a foul mood. The lower ends of her jeans were entirely soaked; all while, the shifting winds meant that the rain was able to sneak past her umbrella's protection and drench her hoody. "Best experience ever, my ass." She cursed under her breath. Up until this point, nothing about the academy had been a positive experience, and that wasn't about to change with a boring, introductory class--especially when she was already running late.

------------------

FiveElemental KapMcflow Orikanyo TheAdventureBegins

Fracture Academics, Northern Building A

Introduction to Fracture Academics was a required course for all incoming students no matter their year. It was put in place because of the unique differences that separated Fracture from other institutions. Students were not required to take a multitude of general education courses. Instead, they were given a specialized curriculum that focused solely on their major. Because of this, major declarations held much more weight and were not assigned from the get go, since abandoning a curriculum meant starting over from scratch. To help alleviate this pressure, students were enrolled in only two courses at the start of their first semester--the introduction course and a rotating hands-on lab pertaining to their tentative major(s). This structure would continue for a couple of months until a major was inevitably determined, after which a proper eighteen hours of coursework would then begin.

For the Ravenwood students, the introduction course was located in Northern Building A--one of the first high rises to appear on the outskirts of the main campus. It was on the tenth floor, in a corner room that could only be described with glass. Every wall, except for the entrance, was comprised of glass panels, allowing for a pleasant view of the surrounding campus forest. Inside, there were a handful of desks, each equipped with a thin, glass panel monitor that displayed the details from the room's ceiling projection screen and a surface keyboard and trackpad for control. Near the projection screen was the professor's desk, who in this case, was lazily lounging in his chair. His feet were propped up against the surface of his desk and his attention was entirely focused on the mobile game in his hands. Never once did he acknowledge any student arrival. The only directive in the room was listed on the numerous displays:

Welcome to your Introduction course.
Don't ask questions, use your desk terminals to find your major, and hurry up and leave.

(there will be a picture coming, still trying to find one for him)

 

[Orikanyo]

Mike Anderson

"...You fucken kidding me...?" This was the introduction to this place? Beyond what he had already seen, no amount of tech shit is gonna make him happy with any of this. This shit brick was acting like a lazy teenager working a gas station. Right after some bastard bitches that "they were late."

"Fucken bastards god damn..." the young man grumbled his way over to one of the things, trying to get it too life with a flick or touch of the trackpad.

"Like i'm dealing with moody teenagers as teachers... Did my turn with that as a Security Guard I don't need this shit... "Waah wahhh can't tell me what to do mall cop" bitchin' little shits yea know what use of force regeimint is right?"

His continued grumbling continued through the little display the machine was giving off, find the major...? Thing should be simple...

...a few clicks later... major is Cyber Security, Close and pretty much under the umbrella of Information Technology.

Minor is history.

As is it was, so it shall be.

...Well fuck it...

Guess he leaves now.

"You get what you give..." he decided to ignore the idiot at the desk, and leave.

 

[KapMcflow]

Nari peered through the room. A classic set up of desk, tables, and terminals were nestled in their respected places. If Nari hadn't known better, she'd say the designated professor for the Intro to Fracture Academics had done this a million times today. Except the fact tat they were suppose to be the first class of the year. Shrugging it off, she brought her attention to the board instructions. A pang of relief followed her as she realized she wouldn't have to speak, or perhaps worse-- participate in another "icebreaker." She caught the annoyed glare of the professor for a moment, not realizing she had been standing near the board for a while. Nari always seemed to freeze when it came to recalling the events of her "dream" last night and the "hallucinations" of that morning.

Nari scrambled to her terminal in haste to began the search for her major. Religious Studies...hm, she thought. Minor...Art. Satisfied with her choices, she closed the terminal and exited the classroom.

 

[TheAdventureBegins]

Juniper
Monday Morning, September 11, 2027
Mentions: Orikanyo KapMcflow Azukai
♦♦♦♦

After the “run” in the forest Juniper simply wanted to take the elevator up to the tenth floor, but decided otherwise and chose the very real stairs. Juniper was a bit out of breath once she reached the floor, but nothing like before, and found her way into the class easily. Her eyes instantly fell on the occupied teacher and felt her eyebrows raise at this sight- at her old school the teachers would have never been on their phones during school hours.

With no help she found her seat and soon noticed the final person she couldn’t remember the name to make his way in as well. At least she wasn’t going to be the only confused one there.

Welcome to your Introduction course.
Don't ask questions, use your desk terminals to find your major, and hurry up and leave.

Juniper was a little frustrated at this directive, what was the point of having a teacher if this was the extent of their teaching. . .Let alone the fact she wanted answers! She heard the other student’s anger as well, and felt it was due, especially after the rather harsh message earlier to get them there. Juniper’s own eyes narrowed at the man in anger, as if he was the sole mastermind behind the previous night and design of the school. Still she reached and began to fiddle with her terminal, clicking through a few pages before she found her incoming major and minor information: Psychology and photography.

How was she going to get any information on this school, any directive on what happened the night before if the teacher wasn’t even going to interact with them. Juniper began flipping through all the offered majors, clicking in and out of things completely lost in thought. Nari was next to enter the room and Juniper couldn’t help but wonder if she felt ok when she looked up at caught her staring off in the distance. Juniper shook it off, she hadn’t known the woman for more than a night, how would she know?

Just as Juniper looked back at her screen a warning flashed across it: Please wait! It flashed again and again, until even it was frozen on her screen. Slowly she raised her hand but realized that wouldn’t matter and finally called out.

“My computer is busted!” With all her scheming to try and get the teacher’s attention it seemed the world had other solutions for her.

 

[FiveElemental]

Peter
8:25 A.M.
Morning
Introduction to Fracture Academy
Mentions: KapMcflow Azukai Orikanyo TheAdventureBegins

As he waited, he saw Juniper, Mike, and a small roommate pass by him in a hurry, he understood as class would take a while to get too, as if he recalled, this dorm was tucked into the corner crevace of the entire campus. He patiently waited for any stragglers for whoever was left to come down, he looked around the forest surrounding their dormitory. The quiet breeze swaying against the branches, the small chirping song of birds. As he saw someone else walk through the door.

A long, dark haired girl stared at him for some time before he asked. "So... anyone else still inside?"

"Oh... umm... no I don't think so." She replied, clearly

"Oh! Alright then, let's get to class. Before that, here, I bet you didn't eat breakfast yet! It's a terrible idea to go to class hungry. " As Peter pulled out a fresh, properly warm, delicious looking breakfast crêpe, and pulled out another umbrella. "And, you forgot an umbrella it seems. Here, you can borrow mine." Giving her an large umbrella to assist her against the rain. As he pulled out a pocket umbrella, and pulled up his raincoats hoodie, and started walking. "Well, no time to falter, let's get going!"

Walking through the dewy, wet grass towards the main campus was a dregg, he thought up of ways to make it easier to get to through this dirt path. Then he began wondering what sorts of forageable treasures was hidden in the forest. As he steadily got to his class with good time.

Entering the classroom, he immediately felt something was off, like something was simply not complete. Taking a quiet sniff in the air, he immediately placed the issue, approaching the desk, he immediately found the issue. An empty coffee mug, and no servings. As the bored teacher looked up from his phone towards the approaching Peter. As he pointed at the writing on the board he saw earlier. Nodding along, the teacher returned back to his phone, and picked up the empty mug absent-minded, noticing that the mug is empty, and grumbling slightly. Peter smirked a little, as he pulled out a tall thermos, opening it, the strong smell of fantastic, freshly brewed coffee permeated the room, immediately the teacher's eyes peered around, looking for the source of the smell and looked at Peter holding a thermos, as he pointing at the thermos. Indicating if the teacher wanted some. As the teacher nodded his head. Quickly pouring out a mug of Peter's speciality coffee blend, and went towards a computer to pick out his classes.

Let's see here... ah there it is, Major in Gastronomy! He chose Gastronomy to catch up on the latest cutting edge, culinary cooking methods as he is, humbly, perhaps the best chef in the campus. Course, he is hoping against it, as he wants someone who can help hone his skills even further than now, all in an effort to beat his Dad.

Next, he choice Sociology, as he honestly wanted to know more about how society has affected people, and hopefully learn more about how society has affected the cullinary arts.

Feeling good with his choices, he immediately planned on skedaddling, however he heard Juniper call out she's having issues with her computer, so he decided to hang back a bit, to see where this'll lead to.

 

[Azukai]

Orikanyo FiveElemental TheAdventureBegins KapMcflow

True to his words, the professor was unconcerned by the two students who rose from their chair and made for the exit. He remained glued to the mobile game in his hands, to the point that he proceeded to ignore Juniper's blight. The only sound that filled the room was his incessant tapping against the screen--at least until he suddenly burst out with a stream of frustrated expletives. "Useless, fucking teammates. Costing me another god damn promo game again."

There was a momentary pause, before he suddenly slammed his phone into the desk and pointed his other finger at Juniper. "And you. Have you even bothered turning it on and off again or are you expecting me to solve your problems for you?" It was all he had to say, mainly because of the peculiar happening which began occurring within the room. The window which was closest to Peter's chosen desk began to lose its reflection, until its surface became a milky three-dimensional texture that ebbed and flowed with gentle waves.

Unbeknownst to the students within the classroom was the fact that a similar effect was occurring in the hallway, outside. Two milky mirrors manifested themselves directly in front of Nari and Mike, leaving them no choice but to walk through. The journey through the sudden portal was near instantaneous; however, they were still left with a lingering sensation that somehow managed to mix sudden chills with warm comfort--all while they tumbled back into the classroom and directly into Peter.

"And then there's all of you. How long are we planning on living in denial?"

 

[Orikanyo]

Mike Anderson

"....

.......

............

.................

Alright.

Portals."

The young man peeled himself off Peter, he was done, very much so, very tired as the world apparrently wanted to say "Hey Mike you left Kansas long ago." And now, now he was in wonderland.

And god did not exist in wonderland.

"...I can't begin to explain it, no way I could say I got turned atound, litterally got walked into a fucking rectangle and now I'm back here, slapped right into our local chef.

So yea, i'm tired of bitching and pretending nothing happened.

What the fuck, how the fuck and why the fuck?

We got a fucking Hecatoncheires ripping folks apart after ripping it'self out of a dude, a wolf coming off it when it's cut, litterally fucking dieing, waking up in the dorm and now, now..."

The young man was pacing about like a tiger in a cage. "NOW we got a phone gamer with portals, just great, great, anything else? Anything else this place gonna slap together? Magic? Stands? Am I gonna get drugged again and convinced i'm a Jojo character?

I don't got the mass for that shit man!

I'm a nerd!

A pissed off apparrently already dead NERD!"

Azukai

 

[FiveElemental]

Peter
9:00 A.M
Introduction to Fracture Academy (?)
Mentions: KapMcflow Orikanyo Azukai

Peter took a seat, and sunk back into the chair, as he started to contemplate. "So... I guess my hunch was right, what happened yesterday did in-fact, happen. The pain I felt, the adrenaline, the stench of blood, my arms being sliced off...' as memories began to re-enter his brain. As he began to recall everything, his knife slicing through eldritch abominations, the sadistic, inhuman smile it wore on it's face, his plan of making the creature choke on soy sauce, the cinnamon, how it backfired horribly, he remembered it all... like a supressed memory, resurfacing from the back of his noggin. He recalled how calm he was, and how psychotic his plan was. As he began thinking more and more, the insanity was getting to him, the sheer horror of what he experienced it...

As Mike, and the other girl he walked to class with, fell from a milky, rectangle, and into him snapping him from his trance. "ARGH! What the?!" As everyone in the human pile tried to escape, Mike peeled himself off from the human pile, trying to comprehend what's happening, which in turn caused him having a slight breakdown over the sheer amount of bullshit happening. While Mike was ranting, Peter helped Nari get back up. As he looked at the milky white void covering the windows.

"Hmm... yeah, no, I'm not gonna even try to comprehend what's going on right. Mirror portals, Milky Way Entrapment, whatever, all that I've learned now is that, what happened yesterday, did in fact happen." Peter looked down at the floor, chuckling slightly, as he saw the wristband still on his leg, lifting his face back up and looked at the teacher, as tears began rolling down his eyes. "One thing I need to know is, what... what the fuck happened to those two? The ones without the wristbands?" He questioned the teacher, with a low, but bloodlusted tone in his voice, as he continued shedding tears. "And tell me, if you'd be so kind. What did they become?" He paused for a moment, "Or, am I barking up the wrong tree?"

 

[TheAdventureBegins]

Juniper
Monday Morning, September 11, 2027
Mentions: Azukai
♦♦♦♦

Juniper was so startled at the noise of the phone hitting the desk and direction of anger over a lost game sent her into full petulant child mode. She slapped her own hand on her desk and glared at him, “maybe if you instructed better-” her own words were cut off with the multiple happenings in the room; a strange portal forming just a few seats away from her, and then the suddenly formed body of the first student to walk out.

Her eyes wide, Juniper was out of her seat in a second making sure there were no portals forming on her desk or near her, she really didn’t want to be crushed by one of the other students; then another, more scary thought formed, she didn’t want to be close to the thing something horrible could come out of.

The line of thought finally brought her full loop back to all her theories of being drugged before, this was either one long ass trip, or her world was really imploding. Juniper didn’t want to listen to the rants of the other students, but there was no way to get rid of it, her thoughts mirroring their own. She tried every rational explanation, every way that none of the atrocities happened last night. Another thought dawned as she faced back to the supposed teacher, it had been made clear they didn’t care who they sacrificed to achieve their goal, but what was their goal?

Her breath came quicker and quicker as the world swam around her for a moment, she had to grab the back of the chair she had just been sitting in to not fall. A few deep breaths in and out left her a little more calm, but still lost, confused, and mostly wanting out. Everything bad had happened after she agreed to opening ‘Pandora's box’; did that game actually matter to all of this? If she had said no would she be living a normal campus life, or would she be really dead dead like the football players.

“What about the deal? Nothing good has come from it like promised, it can’t be linked to all of this.” Her words were soft, her mind completely lost in thought she had begun to speak out loud to herself. Yet it was insane to actually think that deal had mattered, the good Dr. had even said it was hypothetical-but it was easy to lie, wasn't it?