FOUR DAYS LATER...

== > Be Ninfia.

You sit in your room, thoughtful. The drapes are a tasteful yellow and the floor is honey-wood brown. It's all very pleasant until you look into the other two beds, completely empty. Both Irisen and Zenana are gone. You're all alone in the coziest Common Room of all.

PIXELSPRITE: hey Ninfia!

Not quite alone, then.

DIALOGLOG

NINFIA: (O)h, hell(o) there.

PIXELSPRITE: so I have a couple of questions...

NINFIA: Ask away.

PIXELSPRITE: so you hate Hekata because she kille'd' off all the Lusii, right?

NINFIA: grrrrr, her.

NINFIA: Yes, she did that AND pretended t(o) be my friend while d(o)ing it.

NINFIA: I mean I can see why she did it, but...

PIXELSPRITE: that still 'd'oesn't make it ok?

NINFIA: Exactly.

PIXELSPRITE: alright, I can understand that, I guess.

PIXELSPRITE: she 'd'i'd' seem sorry, though.

NINFIA: S(o)rry w(o)n't bring them back.

NINFIA: Maybe s(o)mewhere she's g(o)t a g(o)(o)d heart, but she hasn't sh(o)wn it t(o) me.

PIXELSPRITE: ok. my next question is uh

PIXELSPRITE: alternia is completely gone, right?

NINFIA: I think s(o). And even if it wasn't, we're (o)n a different planet and we d(o)n't kn(o)w where Alternia is.

PIXELSPRITE: *Sigh*

NINFIA: Why?

PIXELSPRITE: you know I ha'd' my own circle of frien'd's, right?

NINFIA: Mak(o)t(o) and Safira were tw(o) (o)f them, right?

PIXELSPRITE: Yeah.

PIXELSPRITE: I know some trolls haven't 'd'ouble programme'd' yet so I was won'd'ering if we coul'd' bring them back.

PIXELSPRITE: but alternia's so razed even their bones are probably dust.

NINFIA: I'm s(o)rry that it w(o)uldn't w(o)rk.

PIXELSPRITE: it's ok. It was just wishful thinking anyway.

PIXELSPRITE: :/

NINFIA: :/

NINFIA: Hey, d(o) y(o)u want t(o) g(o) eat?

PIXELSPRITE: :0 sure!

The two of you head down the hall from the password-protected Common Room (nice of Hekata to add the passcode feature. At least she's got some respect for privacy).

PIXELSPRITE: wait, what's the passwor'd' again?

NINFIA: Jadebl(o)(o)d, I think. F(o)r the tw(o) (o)f us.

When you reach the kitchen, you see Hekata alchemizing more butterbeer.

NINFIA: N(O)T THIS AGAIN!

HEKATA: Rel∆x, |t |sn't ∆s sp|ked ∆s bef•re.

You want her (O)UT (O)F THE KITCHEN N(O)W!

HEKATA: |t's my k|tchen...

She leaves, a mug of butterbeer in her hand. Her eyes are sad, like she misses something.

You settle down on the table she vacated, and Pixela "sits" as best she can.

PIXELSPRITE: fuck my non-existant feet

NINFIA: What d(o) y(o)u want?

PIXELSPRITE: I 'd'unno. I am glad sprites can eat.

You hear a knock on the kitchen door.

CANIRA: #ey, c@n ! come !n?

You open the painting that conceals the door and welcome her, pulling another chair up by the table.

CANIRA: !t'$ cle@r the te@m !$ f@ll!ng @p@rt.

CANIRA: C@r'$ do!ng her be$t @nd $he !$n't @$ u$ele$$ @$ ! thought s#e would be, but...

NINIFA: I kn(o)w we're falling apart. And it's Hekata's fault, as usual.

NINFIA: The past week, all she's been d(o)ing is getting drunk and ign(o)ging us.

CANIRA: !'m worr!ed about !r!$en.

CANIRA: #e opened t#!$ memo four d@y$ @go @nd h@$n't s@!d @nyth!ng $!nce. ! th!nk he'$ gone for good.

She shows you the memo, closed against further responses.

CANIRA: Not#!ng #@$ #@ppened !n the p@$t week. @ll we've ben do!ng !$ @rgu!ng.

PIXELSPRITE: I have to agree.

CANIRA: @nd we've m@de no progre$$.

NINFIA: Y(o)u're right, as usual.

There's another knock on the door.

PIXELSPRITE: which troll are you? are you the one with the pony obsession and or the one with the wings and re'd' eyes?

CARIEL: +— blech, no. My eyes are usually descrIbed as golden. and lumInous.

Hekata, not quite drunk, and Cariel clamber into the kitchen.

CARIEL: +— I overhearD your conversaTIon. GreaT To know I'M "not as useless" as you ThoughT I'D be.

CANIRA: ...

CARIEL: +— whatever, you're sTIll preTTy cool, CanIra.

CANIRA: woof

HEKATA: |'m try|ng t• g|ve up ∆lch•h•l... •h•l?

HEKATA: |'m ∆ rubb|sh le∆der.

CARIEL: +— I've trIeD everyThIng To geT us To coMe TogeTher.

She looks almost close to tears. You've seen Cariel angry, Cariel snarky, Cariel prickly, Cariel arrogant, but never Cariel sad. It's a little disturbing to learn she's an actual person, too.

CANIRA: #ow @bout we !nv!te the ent!re te@m here? @n !nform@l env!ronment m!ght be just w#@t we need.

PIXELSPRITE: you say "what" a lot, you know.

CANIRA: $o ! do

CARIEL: +— guess IT can'T hurT.

Soon, the seven of you are gathered at the magically enlarged table. Pixela floats effortlessly nearby, looking enviably chill.

CIPHRE: there used to be so much more than seven

CIPHRE: fxrst zenana, then desten, then xrxsen, then coanan. now hestus and he gave no warnxng so who knows where he xs

He pulls out his book and flips through it.

CIPHRE: xf only there was some elxxxr of friendship... sounds lxke somethxng xrxsen would know all about.

NINFIA: (O)r me! N(o)t only p(o)ny b(o)y kn(o)ws about friendship! I'm the her(o) (o)f heart, remember?

HEKATA: H•w ∆b•ut we t∆lk ∆b•ut s•meth|ng th∆t |s less l|kely t• st∆rt ∆n ∆rgument?

CIPHRE: lxke ancestors!

NINFIA: Why n(o)t?

CIPHRE: well, my ancestor was fascxnatxng. x thxnk about hxm every txme x open thxs book he wrote. who was he? what mutatxon caused hxm to have sxx fxngers? what other powerful secrets dxd he know? how dxd he dxe? all my lxfe, i^be been searchxng for these secrets.

CARIEL: +— My ancesTor knew how he dxed.

CARIEL: +— Maybe zenana's DID Too?

CIPHRE: really?

CARIEL: +— Though she DID have offIcIal MIssIons, a coverT one was To proTecT The blIndeye auThor, the compIler and protector of supernaTural secrets. he was a frIend to the lowbloods and The hIghblooDs, but never woulD he reveal a secreT To anyone corrupT.

Ciphre appears to fangirl on the table.

CIPHRE: x object to that

== > Be the Author.

You look over these long-ago-written words, feeling eyes prickle on the back of your neck. "It's h^rd to belxeve it's been sxx ye^rs since I beg^n rese^rchxng the str^nge and wondrous secrets of ^lternia's supern^tural lore. Perh^ps the most surprxsing thxng is th^t ^ll, or ^t le^st most, of xt is true."

You remember the mountain trekks, finding boggarts, manotaurs, and a squash with a human face. You remember the forest's mysteries - stones that grow and shrink anything you put into their light, the pesky gnomes, an underground tavern where frozen dinosoars gaze out from crystal amber. Even the tranquil lake had much more than fish. Sea-beasts (you think fondly of your Gobblywonker lusus) and merpeople! Ah, the memories... But now you need to hide all three of your books before the person who is watching you, stalking you at night, finds them.

== > Cariel: Speak more about your ancestor.

CARIEL: +— she was - blech - moIraIls with The hunTsman. unTIl They were senT afTer La EsperaTe.

CANIRA: Mmmm-#mmm.

CARIEL: +— The hunTress founD anD spareD her, whIle The hunTsMan wenT afTer soMeone else.

CANIRA: T#e Ch@r!oteer, !!$en's @nce$tor. L@ E$per@te'$ M@te$pr!t.

CIPHRE: wasn^t he the one who stalked the author?

HEKATA: Funny h•w •ur st•r|es c•nnect.

NINFIA: Wh(o) sent them after La Esperate?

NINFIA: Was it the S(o)rciere, Hekata?

HEKATA: N•!| bel|eve |t w∆s the Detect•r, the pr∆gm∆t|c l•ver •f ∆ll •rder and l∆w, wh• •rdered the rebel f•ll•wers k|lled. Sh∆mefully, the •rders were c∆rr|ed •ut, due t• Hem•Spectrum d|scr|m|n∆t|•n.

PIXELSPRITE: That's tealbloo'd' logic guy, right? The one who left?

NINFIA: Yeah.

HEKATA: | need t• wr|te th|s d•wn.

IFERNA: my ancestors were cool to///

IFERNA: yes thats a legitimate plural because i had an entire clan of ancestors///

IFERNA: the clansmen///

IFERNA: only a gifted few could shapeshift but they had the wisdom of nine difurent lives///

PERSUS: MY AncestoR WaS ThE OceangoD, ThE EarthshakeR. AS FaR AS AncestorS GO, HE WaS PrettY GO WitH ThE FloW AnD SupportivE. IM BiaseD. BuT HeS ReallY CooL.

CARIEL: +— I beT.

CARIEL: +— how abouT yours, hekaTa?

HEKATA: She |sn't ∆s |nterest|ng ∆s y•ur ∆ncestors, |'m sure. She w∆s the S•rc|ere, ∆nd, ∆s |'m sure m•st •f y•u kn•w, Empress •f ∆ltern|∆. Her re|gn w∆s ch∆r∆cter|zed by m•re Hem•Spectrum freed•m th∆n w∆s c•mm•n ∆t th∆t ep•ch. She w∆nted t• st•p the st|fl|ng ∆nd et|•l∆t|•n •f the l•wer C∆stes, even ∆b•l|sh the system ∆lt•gether.

IFERNA: she failed im sure///

HEKATA: **N•ds** She m∆de s•me pr•gress, but ult|m∆tely, the system |s st|ll |n pl∆ce.

HEKATA: •nly, n•w | guess |t |sn't, s|nce we d•n't buy |t ∆nd we're the •nly tr•lls left..?

CANIRA: @s one of t#e L@$t trolls ! hereby @bol!sh t#e Hemo$pectrum c@$te $y$tem

CIPHRE: Hear, hear

HEKATA: ∆nyw∆y, •ne •f her m•re cr|t|c|zed ch•|ces w∆s her fr|endsh|p, p•ss|bly M•|r∆lleg|∆nce, w|th the C•urt|er.

NINFIA: Bah

HEKATA: She, ∆s R∆|yen c∆n tell y•u, w∆s the J∆deBl••ded c•nf|d∆nt •f the S•rc|ere.

HEKATA: But when the S•rc|ere's cr•wn w∆s st•len, she bl∆med the C•urt|er, wh• h∆d h∆d c•vert de∆l|ngs w|th the Cr|m|n∆l.

NINFIA: She blamed my ancestor because she was a midbl(o)(o)d, n(o)t because she was the Kismesister (o)f the Criminal!

HEKATA: Th∆t's n•t true! She gl∆dly welc•med her b∆ck |nt• the C•urt when the c∆se w∆s f|n∆lly cle∆red up!

PIXELSPRITE: your ancestor was in kismesis with mine, Ninfia?!

CANIRA: Your @ncestor w@$ the Cr!m!n@l?

PIXELSPRITE: yup, she was ba'd'ass.

CIPRHE: zenana's ancestor stole the crown. wxth help from xrxsen^s ancestor. the author wrote about xt.

HEKATA: **Fur|•usly wr|t|ng**

CANIRA: T#e captured Esperate died next to the Charioteer, singing to him. She had lead a long life of just revolt. He was tried and condemned in the Detector's court.

HEKATA: My ∆ncest•r st∆rted ∆ sch••l f•r prom|s|ng y•ung W|tches ∆nd W|z∆rds. |ts n∆me h∆s been l•st t• H|st•ry, but |ntell|gent tr•lls •f ∆ll bl••d c•l•rs were ∆ccepted. She s•rted them, |nste∆d •f by s• c∆lled "bl••d pur|ty" |nt• ch∆r∆cter|st|c-b∆sed H•uses, l|ke |'ve d•ne w|th y•u. She t∆ught them m∆g|c, ∆s well. | bel|eve the Ch∆r|•teer went there f•r ∆ ye∆r, bef•re dr•pp|ng •ut.

CIPHRE: that would explaxn why he could repaxr enchanted objects

CIPHRE: the author wrote a lot about hxs stalker. he was lookxng for sxx magxcal elements of alchemy.that^s why xrxsen puts the sxx stars xn front of hxs speech. hxs ancestor only found fxve elements, though. he followed and eventually kxlled the author because he belxeved hxm to have the sxxth

CARIEL: +— and Then The hunTress founD the auThor's boDy, wITh The Baroness, anD realIzeD she haD faIleD. She Then resTrIcteD herself To fIghTIng DeMons, no longer hunTIng Trolls for crImes as her once-MoIraIl had. He, on The oTher hanD, becaMe extreMely MurDerous anD kIlled The CrIMInal, someThIng he was praIseD anD haTeD for.

CANIRA: L@ M@r!po$@'$ re$!$t@nce group $urv!ved long @fter #er death.

CANIRA: The Ch@r!oteer kept !t @l!ve w!th h!s dy!ng words @t h!$ tr!@l, before be!ng k!lled.

CANIRA: Who k!lled h!m? $ome e%ecut!oner?

HEKATA: The S•rc|ere chr•n|cled |t ∆s ∆ su|c|de. R∆ther th∆n be|ng k|lled by ∆ Threshecut|•ner, he t••k h|s •wn l|fe.

CANIRA: T#!$ !$ @ll $o cool! !'ve @lw@ys loved the story between my @nce$tor @nd !r!$en'$.

CANIRA: !t'$ $ooooo rom@nt!c ($woon!) They d!ed for love.

CIPHRE: x thxnk xt^s lame. he sounds lxke an asshole

CIPHRE: plus who actually gxves a bulge-lxckxng shxt about what happened to xrxsen^s ancestor

CANIRA: $o w#@t? !t'$ @ good story, t#@t'$ @ll t#@t counts. W#@t h@ppened then does$'t need to @ffect our dest!n!e$ now.

NINFIA: Hist(o)ry d(o)esn't need t(o) repeat itself.

CARIEL: +— buT IT ofTen Does.

PIXELSPRITE: well this conversation is boring

HEKATA: | beg t• d|ffer! | f|nd ∆ll kn•wledge f∆sc|n∆t|ng. | l•ve h•w we ∆ll c∆n c•nt|nue the ep|c t∆le w|th •ur •wn st•r|es when s•me•ne else le∆ves off!

PIXELSPRITE: why 'd'on't we have Iferna talk about meowbeasts

IFERNA: yeah i can do that///

CIPHRE: PLEASE NO

CANIRA: On @ d!fferent note h@$ @nyone #e@rd from !r!sen

CIPHRE: not sxnce the memo

CIPHRE: x guess we^re really down to just the seven of us

PIXELSPRITE: COUGH COUGH

NINFIA: Eight.

IFERNA: and brokensprite///

CARIEL: +— he doesn'T counT

Iferna turns into a meowbeast and leaps into Ninfia's lap.

 IFERNA: youre back down to six trols i gues/// what a pity///

NINFIA: Why d(o)n't y(o)u tell us ab(o)ut y(o)ur friends?

HEKATA: | d• l•ve c∆ts. They ∆re c•mmo•ly f∆m|l|∆rs. There's •ne |n the c∆stle, t••, •ther th∆n y•u, |ferna. But | th|nk he's p∆rt Kne∆zle.

IFERNA: no i chased him out/// my teritory now///

HEKATA: But |...

IFERNA: i had the honor to be the clanmate of one very special cat/// three mouthed broken heart/// hes brokensprite now///

IFERNA: i was shifting sky/// one mouthed meowbeast that wasnt even a meowbeast///

IFERNA: the leader was silver star/// she believed in the ancestors that would lead us///

CIPHRE: so the cats aren^t that dxfferent from trolls, then

IFERNA: yeah theyve got ancestors and prophecies and destinies/// theyre trolls but legitimately better/// they never betray each other/// unlike us///

PIXELSPRITE: I'd' never betray y'all

PERSUS: CatS ArE PrettY CooL, EveN IF TheY DonT LikE WateR

IFERNA: some did actually/// they swam in the forest/// they were a sortof sub-clan/// like a club///

PERSUS: HanG ON

He considerately goes to the refridgerator and pulls out some blue cake.

PERSUS: BluE FooD FoR EveryonE!

CIPHRE: you^re such a derp

PERSUS: BuT I MakE GooD CakE

PIXELSPRITE: fair point. Let us have cake.

== >Be a Clansman.

You are now Azure Cloud, the mate of the Noble Deputy Lion's Mane.

Azure Cloud: \\\what's wrong, Lion's Mane?///

Lion's Mane: //// nothing you need to concern yourself with ////

He shifts into a Meowbeast, having received the ability upon becoming deputy of dualmoon clan. You, stuck as a troll, watch anxiously as he bounds out of sight. You see shadows gathering in the forest...

Silent Star: ||| Azure Cloud! |||

Azure Cloud: \\\yes?///

Your leader dashes into the clearing and phases up into troll form.

Silent Star: ||| We need to leave the Forest. Now. |||

Silent Star: ||| There is danger coming. |||

Azure Cloud: \\\what kind of danger?///

Silent Star: ||| A Huntsman is about to arrive, wanting to clear the forest for a kingdom of his own. |||

Azure Cloud: \\\I will not leave this forest.///

Azure Cloud: \\\let us fight instead.///

== > Be Lion's Mane.

You return from a brief hunt, seeing your mate standing strong. You walk up to her, watching her gentle, lithe form in the moonlight.She looks so brave when she's furious like this. She wanted so badly to inherit the ability to change, like you, but she never got it. Her back is covered in umber freckles from the sunlight. Her hair is tied neatly in braids, but she's growing it out so she could have a lion's mane like you.She takes her hand in yours and holds tight. She looks into your eyes and purrs, the cat sound she has been working for endless cycles to imitate. You purr back.

 Lion's Mane: //// you have a Warrior's heart. ////

== > Be Iferna.

IFERNA: when destens ancestor came to try to clear the forest out/// the meowbeast clans fought///

IFERNA: they joined together into one/// fought off the huntsman using both cat and troll forms///

IFERNA: he couldnt stand against four combined clans of claws and nails///

IFERNA: he retreated from his injuries and died///

CARIEL: +— gooD rIDDance

== > Mourn your losses.

Azure Cloud: \\\ I'm coming back for both of us. Our descendant must carry on our legacy.///

Lion's Mane: //// what does she look like? ////

Azure Cloud: \\\I can envision her now. She's purrfect. She can shapeshift. She has your mane and my horns. She's loyal. Everyone respects her. And she has a true heart.///

Lion's Mane: //// She inherited that from you, then. ////

Azure Cloud: \\\You are just as pure as I am.///

Lion's Mane: //// You were a martyr. I am a soldier. We do things we regret. ////

Azure Cloud: \\\We all do.///

We all do.

== > Be Ninfia.

Iferna has turned back and is sitting beside you. Under her ragged, torn up shirt, you notice that she has tons of freckles. They extend down her pack, the umber color of her blood.

Dirty, some would say.

Beautiful, you would argue.

PIXELSPRITE: Well, Ninfia... I 'd'o believe it's time to tell our story.

NINFIA: I'll start.

== > Be the Courtier.

You slip out of the queen's court and dart down to the secret door behind the statue of the one-eyed witch that leads to a hidden shack. The Criminal is waiting for you there.

You push open the wooden door that lies in the bottom of the shack. She's there, hunched in a corner. Your Kismesis. An anarchist. You sometimes wonder why you keep her alive when you hate her so much. The truth is, you adore hateflirting. Life is so much less interesting without a rival.

CRIMINAL: so you've arrived. i thought you weren't coming.

CRIMINAL: 'd'i'd' you consi'd'er leaving me here to starve?COURTIER: Yes.

CRIMINAL: i'd' have let you 'd'ie.

COURTIER: Like a ruffian like y)o(u w)o(uld even c)o(nsent t)o( castle life with)o(ut a kismesis t)o( keep it interesting.

She scowls at you and bares her teeth.

CRIMINAL: <3<?

COURTIER: <3<.

You toss the loaf of stale bread to her, purposely hitting her painfully on the side of the head. She smiles.

CRIMINAL: finally taking the rivalry seriously?

COURTIER: I always have.

== > Be the Sorciere.

You are penning your ancient diary, given to you when you were no more then a wriggler. A worry sits at the back of your mind... there are rebels in the hills. But they are peaceful rebels. And they aren't what's worrying you. What's worrying you is that... you agree with them. And with their cause.

You keep on wtiting, every so often overlaying the charm that will take whoever reads these words back to this location in their mind. To everyone in the present, they will have passed out, when in exactuality their mind will be here, watching everything that happens as it happens. This charm, of your own invention, is not something you've shared with anyone.

You place your pen back on the paper and continue to write.

The Rebels |n The H|lls, Led By The Myster|•us M∆r|p•s∆, Gu∆rd ∆nd Pr•tect H•pe |n L•wBl••ds Everywhere. I H∆ve Sp•ken W|th My C•urt|er •n |t, F•r | ∆m Qu|te W•rr|ed. N•t Bec∆use | Fe∆r The Rebels, But Bec∆use | ∆gree W|th Them ∆nd The|r W•rthy C∆use •f True Equ∆l|ty. ∆nd | ∆m W•rr|ed S•me •f The M•re Unst∆ble H|ghBl••ds W|ll •rder The|r De∆th ∆ny D∆y N•w. | H∆ve T• Prevent |t S•mehow, ∆nd, W|th My P•wer ∆s The Empress, | C∆n. But |s There ∆ny w∆y T• D• Th|s W|th•ut L•s|ng My P•wer? F•r |f | C•nt|nue T• G|ve The Rebels Free Re|gn, | W|ll Cert∆|nly Be |mpe∆ched.

An idea strikes.

| Kn•w Wh∆t | W|ll Do. | W|ll Send The Huntress ∆fter Them, |nstruct|ng Her T• C∆pture ∆nd N•t S• Much ∆s |njure ∆ny •f Them. •nce They ∆re S∆fely |n The C∆stle, | C∆n E∆s|ly Sl|p Them B∆ck |nt• S•c|ety •n ∆n•ther Pl∆net, •r Even B∆ck •n ∆ltern|∆. •ut •f S|ght, •ut •f M|nd |s How |t G•es W|th M∆ny Tr•lls, Unf•rtun∆te ∆s |t |s. ∆s ∆ R∆ce, We ∆re Much T•• D|v|ded...

| P•nder, ∆s | St∆re ∆t The Tw|l|ght Sky, Empurpled By The Sett|ng •f The Sun. The Sh∆d•ws Stretch|ng Acr•ss The C∆stle Turrets Seem T•• F|tt|ng F•r My C•mf•rt. ∆ Lugubr|•us V|sta, Stretch|ng ∆w∆y... |s Th|s Wh∆t The Future H•lds?

You close the diary with a final snap. Someday, you'll hide it, along with the six other mementos of yourself. Perhaps one day, someone could find and unite them. You list them slowly in your mind, savoring their mental images. The locket that you wear near-constantly. The chalice given to you by the Huntress, ages ago. The Diadem, a crown so precious to you that you've never once worn it in public. The tiny snake figurine that was once a handle to a long-since closed-off door. A ring with your symbol on it. And lastly, the tiny but ornate first-carved seal of your school, who's painting took months to complete.