Sᴏʟ Rᴀᴠᴇʜ TᴇSᴛ DƦɪᴠᴇ #2: Beyond the Idol Doors

[solravehmods]

As before, new arrivals begin to show up in the Altar Room, disoriented and confused after their conversation with the strange spirit known as Ozuma.

Unlike before, though, there are further places to go, to explore than there were at the beginning of all of this. The Storage Room beyond the Altar Room, the Tower of Winds with it's broken cage and spiraling walk way up to a balcony over looking the sea. And even more than that, through the opened idol doors and past another set of raised walls, there is a door way out to a bridge stretching high, high over the churning ocean below.

Unfortunately not even our new arrivals can go much further than that right now. Certainly there is more to see, but beyond that bridge the next area is as dark as those places before have been.

Of course, you could try defeating the darkness within... if you're really that brave.

Comments

[scary_music]

It was after everybody ditched Ibuki's concert! Because...

... um... you know... Nekomaru-chan got blown up protecting Akane-chan. Because she didn't show up at the concert at all...

[... that's right, some people did show up from different points at the Bastion. The real Byakuya had been from further along than Makoto...]

What... what about you, Chiaki-chan?

[8_bit_gamer]

[So right before she got the despair disease, CHiaki thought to herself.]

I remember that. You song was quite... unique.

[Chiaki didn't answer Ibuki. She didn't know how to explain anything.]

[scary_music]

...

Um...

... Ibuki totally noticed you avoiding her question.

[8_bit_gamer]

... It's complicated Ibuki. A lot happened after you... after the last one of your memories.

[scary_music]

...

... after I...?

[She shook her head, and then... realized something-]

Wait... Chiaki-chan I-

[... though she'd remembered everything that was wiped, it was still a bit of a jumbled mess but... she realized... she had no memories of Chiaki before the simulation]

... huh... you're... are you the "traitor" Monokuma-chan was talking about?

[The way she said traitor, she clearly didn't think of Chiaki as poorly as the word would usually imply]

[8_bit_gamer]

...

[Chiaki looked at Ibuki for a few moments, then smiled.]

I was, but traitor makes it sound like I was a bad guy. Usami was my big sister.

[scary_music]

... Usami-chan was...?

... whoa, are you part bunny, Chiaki-chan?! Do you have little mini-ears bunny ears or something???! Let Ibuki see!!

[Ibuki stepped forward, playing with Chiaki's hair and trying to find ... just what she said she was looking for]

[8_bit_gamer]

Well, I am not part rabbit, but she was still my older sister.

[Chiaki was worried that telling Ibuki about the program would upset her. Plus she was programmed to not tell them anything... they as a human Chiaki doesn't have that same restriction.]

[scary_music]

Are you sure? Maybe you have a fluffy tail?

... okay, that'd be Teruteru-chan levels of perviness if Ibuki tried to check...

... Um, I guess you're from further up than Ibuki so... say, did ... did the virus ever get... anti-virused? Or whatever?

[8_bit_gamer]

I can assure you I do not have a fluffy tail... even though it would be cute.

... Ibuki, how did you know that?

[scary_music]

Huh? Know what?

...

Oh... um... Ibuki uh... well, that is...

... she... kiiiiiiiind of ... got her crappy wiped memories back??

[8_bit_gamer]

[Chiaki blinks a few times.]

... oh.

[scary_music]

... um...

...

[Now that she thought about it... everything that happened in there... at least, everybody else had expected what was going to happen in there before their memory wipe. But on the other hand, Chiaki...]

[... Chiaki was probably the one that was most victimized by what had occurred, alongside Usami. In some way, perhaps Ibuki and the others deserved it... but definitely not Chiaki and her sister]

I... Chiaki-chan, um... Ibuki... may not have ... been the one that put in the virus but I...

...

I'm... really sorry about... everything that happened... in the simulation...

[8_bit_gamer]

[Chiaki had a feeling their memories could come back. There were some fail safes in case it did happen. Chiaki and Usami were never told exactly what the others did before arriving in the simulation. This Ibuki was the only Ibuki she ever knew.]

... You don't need to be sorry Ibuki-chan. What happened was none of your faults.I don't blame any of you, and Usami didn't either.

[She smiled brightly]

I am just happy you still are willing to talk to me despite being a traitor.

[scary_music]

Ehehe...

[She couldn't help a few tears from escaping, but her own smile just about matched Chiaki's own. That Chiaki was just so willing to forgive her...]

[... in the Bastion, it was because of people like Ippo and Colin that she didn't fall back into despair when her memories had come back... and...]

[... the possibility that she might never see them and Ikuri again was real, now that Ibuki was here but...]

[... but Chiaki was also here, and... Ibuki knew she could count on her to keep away the loneliness. The despair]

It's like you said, right? Traitor makes you sound like the bad guy! If anything, Ibuki was more badguy than you, right?

But... but that stuff doesn't matter now, because... even though Ibuki has her crappy memories back, I... I'm not that person anymore. Ibuki's still the Ibuki you know.

... Chiaki-chan, you'll stay with Ibuki, right? [... this is almost sounding like it's leading up to a confession or something]

[8_bit_gamer]

... Ibuki, I've known only this Ibuki, and I'm happy that you want to stay that way. That was the point of the simulation.

... Is this confession flag?

1/2

[scary_music]

... huh?

[scary_music]

... W-whoa, is it?! Chiaki-chan?!

Ibuki tripped over a confession pole?!

[8_bit_gamer]

It sounded like something from a dating sim. One of those lily sims... I think.

[scary_music]

R... really?

Ibuki's never played a dating sim before?!

What happens next, Chiaki-chan?!

[... even though she has (had?) a boyfriend and a girlfriend, she's asking something like that...]

[8_bit_gamer]

... I'm very bad at dating sims, so I don't know. But I don't think you have captured the flag yet. Flags take more time then that... maybe.

[scary_music]

... Then... then where's the flag?

[8_bit_gamer]

[Chiaki starts to look around, as if actually looking for a flag.]

[scary_music]

... well, if it's capture the flag, we need to work together, right? Ibuki doesn't know much about first person shooters but those are team games, right?

[... has this become a multiplayer first person with dating sim elements now??]

[8_bit_gamer]

... Capture the flag in a game of Halo is the same as if you do it in a dating sim?