"What time is it again..?"

"12:30. Get up."

"I don't really want to, though."

"Just shut up, and get out of bed."

The door shuts, and a groggy teenager sits up in their bed. What's their name?

I think, for the sake of progressing the story along, I'm going to tell you. Their name is Abysma. Most people call them Ab, though. That's all we need to know for now.

"Em. EM. Come back. We're not done talking about this." Our newly discovered character seems to be calling out to their partner over there. Let's see what's going on over there.

A young male with thick, faded brown hair reaching down to his ears fantasizes about starting over somewhere new. The thought is immediately disrupted by the call of his particularly needy "friend" lying in his bed.

"Shut up. I can barely focus with you around." Em, short for nothing, makes a motion with his hand he is perfectly aware no one will ever see, because no one but him is currently in the room to see it. Well, I saw it, if it makes him feel any better.

"Then why'd you pick me? It's like we fight so much more often now that we live in the same house."

"I don't know. But I'm feeding you, so shut up. Please."

"Fine." The constant bickering had become commonplace for the two 16 year olds, one of which will finally reach 17 years old in a mere week. Though, I doubt that little tidbit will ever serve any importance to the story whatsoever. Em, Abysma's closest yet, somehow, most despised confidant, finds his mind clouded by the possibilities of the decision he's about to make. If only he could just make it go away. He always seemed to worry about how people reacted, how they would view him, and it made him soft. Resentful. It was like Em was trapped in his own mind with the fear of hurting everyone holding him hostage, and it made him want to throw up. And he would've, if the thought had remained in his mind a second longer; instead, Em was snapped quickly back into reality, almost as if he detected a shift in gravity, by the voice of his housemate.

"Em." Abysma's meek body peered out the door, their hair plagued with white dye from last night's events to hide the natural black it used to be. What a wild night it was. So wild, in fact, that neither of them remember a thing.

"..." Em seemed to lack the attention span for another runaround conversation with his partner.

"EM." Ab's tone was no longer soft, but still felt sentimental to Em. The two stared at each other in complete silence, one trying to repair their relationship with the other ready to break it apart. The anticipation is killing me, even though I know what happens already. "We need to talk."

"Solace, when do we not? I'm tired. Ab, I'm so tired. I haven't slept in 36 hours. 36! And it's your fault."

"So why do you even want me? If I'm this useless, why both-" Their eyes glistened with the soft shine of salt-water, but before any tears could be shed, Em finished what he had started. He was never one to quit, after all.

"Please, for once, shut up. Just do me that favor." Another pause. Much longer this time, as Em could barely squeeze each word out from his vocal chords. And if you really took a close look at him, you'd notice he was sweating much more than usual. In fact, Em barely sweated at all, so why was he sweating now? Why couldn't he just get it over with? Thoughts began to flurry through Em's mind and flood his body with even more sweat, reaching the long sought-after tier of SWEAT LEVEL MIDNIGHT. This had to end.

"I don't think I can do this anymore. I'm sorry, you're just...not what I need right now. You're too much. Get therapy. See a doctor maybe. I don't know, and I don't care anymore. Your issues aren't my responsibility. Take your stuff, and get out of my house."

Abysma, not even taking a moment to process, just laughed at Em. It wasn't a sincere laugh, but a laugh nonetheless.

"Solace, we've done this joke 300 times already. You're not original, Em...can we just kiss and make up already?"

"No, I'm not joking this time. Are you even listening to me? To the words I'm saying?"

"Aw hush already, let's just relax…" And with those words, Abysma leaned forward, closing the gap between their faces with every word.

And it would have been a very...favorable situation for Ab if it hadn't been interrupted by Em's scarred fist pummeling into the side of their face. Abysma groaned, unable to realize what had hit them before they were halfway to the floor. It wasn't like they hadn't been punched before. Except it was, because they had never been punched before. Ab's body hit the ground with a harsh thud, crashing simultaneously with a couple porcelain plates of Em's that they had knocked over during the confrontation. It was, in all senses of the word, a mess.

And now we switch to a much less violent setting than the last, one where our characters have already woken up for the day; in fact, they have been up for hours, simply awaiting the rise of a new dawn.

"It's beginning, everyone! Get ready!" The first member of this party we draw focus onto, a fairly tall girl with flowing, amber hair, quietly stands up from her previous sitting position, towering over the rest of her group at a staggering 6'1". Despite their height, they weren't skinny, and they were aware of that. In fact, she had come to enjoy being a little chubbier around her body, because she felt more comfortable that way.

"And you're positive today is THE day? We're not messing this up again." The second member can only be described as radiating a wavelength of approximately "swag" nanometers. Their sleek red hair, running down the back of their jet black leather jacket, seemed to only compliment the massive coolness factor that their facial expressions radiated. And, of course, the look was never complete without their sharpened dark grey-tinted glasses, seemingly just pulled the precise distance against the bridge of their nose to maximize the amount of SWAG POTENTIAL they had. The only downside, however, was their name. As to what that name is, well, we'll learn all that stuff later!

"Oh come on, my cards are always accurate."

"You've gotten the date wrong like four times in a row, Perseph."

"Quiet! I am a successful clairvoyant, and you're all just jealous."

"Whatever. Today does feel like one of those days, and what the hell else are we going to do?"

One of the figures stands, and comes to an immediate halt.

"Another, quote-unquote, vision?"

"Can it already, I was five."

"It was still funny. I'm surprised you still keep forgetting you have an iron deficiency."

"I don't have an iron deficiency, first of all, because that's not a real thing."

"Whatever you say, future boy."

"It's future girl now, Jude."

"Right, right. Sorry." The two exchanging banter are interrupted by a third, a seemingly unfazed and unamused member of this party.

"Do we need to collect anything else?"

"Great. Are we bringing the fun police with us?" The clairvoyant seems particularly taken aback by this comment, and refutes it post-haste.

"You expect us to leave them behind when this could potentially be the moment we've been waiting for? Plus, they're going to be a crucial part of this operation if we ever want to pull it off."

"Fine, just...don't rain on my parade. I get seriously pissed off when you do stuff like that."

"Noted."

"Aww, is lil' sis getting all hot and bothered?"

"On SOLACE, I hate you all."

Sorry, sorry, I completely seem to have forgotten to introduce everyone to you again. Where was I? Right, right...alright! Let's begin with our supposed future-teller and oldest of all four, Persephone! Then there's the two siblings, Jude and Ocha, who act as the polar opposites that keep the group aligned and happy. And of course, the regulator of the party, Gam. There, that should do it! Now, back to our lovely scene.

"Persephone, can we talk? I believe this is of...utmost importance." Gam's voice wavers just slightly, returning to its strict monotone chord within a matter of moments. Their eyes are piercing, or at least they would be if they weren't completely covered by a thin, black cloth acting as a temporary blindfold. He would soon receive a gift from a friend of theirs that would replace this blindfold in a much more...silly manner. Gam was actually quite fond of these types of jokes, so it was a welcome gift. Or at least, it's going to be. We're really getting off track here.

"Oh dear, of course!" Persephone followed, her swift amber hair flowing behind her like a moth to a dying flame.

"Are you positive it's...necessary to expend your powers like...this?" Gam was quiet, as he tended to be, and his manner was much more off-putting than usual.

"Calm down, you're getting worked up. I'll be just fine!" Persephone, cheery as usual, put a warm hand to Gam's cheek, and listened closely for the sweet sigh of relief he always made when she comforted him.

"...You're right, as always..."

"Come back and sit with everyone when you feel better, alright..?" She smiled again. It seemed this girl was full of nothing but smiles, especially recently.

"...Will do." With that reassurance, Persephone slid back off to the group, quietly checking her phone again to see if she'd gotten any messages. Well, she had, but...sigh. This one was always a workout.

And now we switch again to a dark, desolate room with only the light of a heavily-used computer and its rather loud fan, with a sweaty, sort of worn-out species known as pariah leaning over it. Well, that's a little rude...this is Cora. And I don't think they want guests right now.

Instead, we'll take a look at the interspecies couple of Fritz and Netylla...who we aren't ready to meet either. Their roles in this story come much, much later, sadly. Our tenth, and final, player as well, so I'm afraid you can't meet him just yet. Oh my, it seems someone is receiving a message.

[] CaliginousVirtues began a chat with PersephonieJuxtas []

CV: ugh i always forget that your name is your actual name with one stupid letter changed.

PJ: I rather like my name, thank you very much. What did you need?

CV: nothing, just telling you that you should be careful.

CV: its gonna get crazy today.

PJ: I'm well aware. I did opt for psychic, anyway.

CV: well then i hope you know gam isn't doing anything for you.

PJ: Please don't put me through this again. I enjoy his company, what is the issue with that?

CV: hes a creep.

PJ: Can I be happy, just for once, Cora? Or is that too much for you?

CV: im just saying. be careful.

PJ: I don't even know why I talk to you anymore, Cora. You've really gone off the deep end. It's all that computer exposure, you know.

CV: please stop talking you sound like my nonexistent custodian.

PJ: I am right, though. Don't you think so?

PJ: Maybe you ought to go outside, take a walk, do something with your friends, maybe?

CV: sigh. ill see you when you wake up, seph.

PJ: It's Persephone, maybe you could bother to type the whhnfdnfhvnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

[] PersephonieJuxtas has logged out for the day []

We see, for a split second, the silhouette in front of the computer sighing, and removing themselves from their chair for the first time in hours. And for another, we see three members of a party in shock as their fourth, and most crucial member, falls to the ground without a word. The last thing we see is Jude, with their fists balled and aimed at her sibling, Ocha, and her face, which is full of nothing but the climax of long-seated anger and frustration. While she says nothing, Ocha knows precisely what she wants to know:

"Ocha, what the HELL did you do?"

"Nothing. I had NOTHING to do with this. I swear, on all that is good and balanced, that I had nothing to do with this."

"...I don't believe you."

"What do you mean you don't believe me? What could I have possibly done?"

Jude pauses, for a moment, scanning her sister as if to look for any possible signs of "foul play". They found none.

"I just fucking don't. You've done this before."

"One. One time. I'm over that."

"How can I trust that? You've obsessed over her for FOUR YEARS. FOUR, OCHA!" The strain in Jude's voice finally reaches its climax, pushing just barely into the realm of salty droplets secreted from their eyeholes. They're crying, damn it. Hard.

"Do you even...know how hard it's been to take care of you? To watch you all these years? I don't know if you'll flip out on us and...it's scary, Ocha. It's scary."

"..." Instead of speaking, Ocha just sighs. It's a broken sigh, choked up and barely a breath at all; the tears have already been streaming from her face for a solid couple of seconds now. She doesn't look up at her sibling at all, just...sighs, looking down at the ground as if it has some sort of escape for her. But it doesn't.

"Fuck, Ocha. Just...go somewhere you can't hurt anyone." Jude's expression was nothing less of sheer disappointment, staring daggers into the bloodshot eyes of their dear sister. Ocha took this as a challenge, however.

"...So you just expect me to leave her here? She's going to fucking die if all of us don't do something. She might already be dead, for all we know." If anything, Ocha knew how to remain calm during an emergency, while her sister was, for lack of a better term, a mess. Jude had tried their best to articulate their words properly, although every other one still came out choked through tears.

"GO. Just fucking go. Leave, Ocha." It seemed to get harder on Jude with each word, but they knew what needed to be done. Their sibling was a suspect, and they couldn't let it slide.

"Please, just let me help-" Before she could finish, Gamma took a deep breath, and then a single step toward Ocha.

"Go, please. We wouldn't want this to be any more difficult than it needs to be." Everyone in the room knew that once you've pissed off Gamma, you might as well just give up. Despite being tame most of the time, they were all aware of what happened to people on Gam's shit-list. He'd been known to bring many of his victims back home with him, make them believe they were safe, then brutally murder them before they knew what happened. It didn't satisfy any craving he had to kill people; Gam simply found peace in people getting proper punishment for pissing them off. To him, it was what they deserved. So, yeah, it's safe to say everyone was just a little bit scared of them.

"...Fine. I'll be in the bathroom. I had to pee anyways."

"..." The two waited a couple seconds after Ocha had left before looking back at each other, not a word daring enough to escape their lips. Luckily, Gamma was known to cut through tension in the air like a knife through sweet hot bread.

"...Are you going to help me make sure she's okay, Jude?" It took them a second to register the words in their mind, but once they did, it was like they had suddenly remembered something important. Something very, very important.

"...Jude-"

"HOLY FUCK DUDE I JUST REMEMBERED I CAN CAST SPELLS..."

"...Right. Weren't you the member of our party who chose peripheral magic, out of everything else?"

"Peripheral magic is badass. Just watch, I'll wake her up in a millisecond!"

"...Oh dear." Jude sprung to life, her mind now fully focused on the object she was holding: a small black fountain pen, engraved with the letters, "P.J." She opened her hands to hold the pen just so that it would touch both of them, and yet she would not apply too much force to it at once.

"She won't mind that I use her pen, right..?"

"Jude, she's currently unconscious. Please just do what you must." With that affirmation from Gam, she shut her eyes, fully focusing on the pen laying gently in her open palms. The pen would soon begin to glow a soft, lustrous green, before returning to its normal color as Jude simultaneously opens her eyes.

"...All done, I think!" Gamma didn't speak, but nodded in approval before kneeling down beside Persephone, the room perfectly still for just a moment. The scene was near perfect, and it would have been if it wasn't for the fact that their dear friend had just passed out on the floor next to them. As Persephone's eyes just barely began to flutter open, however, Ocha burst through the door mere minutes after being reprimanded for entering. Gam was unmoved, focused on Persephone. Jude was fucking furious.

"Ocha, what the fuck are you doing back here? I just told you to-" It seemed, however, there were more important matters to attend to. Ocha knew this, due to a very good friend of theirs, and soon to be a very well-known entity to everyone in their party.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Just open your phone, for Solace's sake. Read." Jude scoffed, more inclined at this point to believe that a certain type of swine had taken to the skies. Then again, they were siblings; they had to give her the benefit of the doubt. So, with nothing to lose, Jude opened their phone to find a chatroom opened by an unfamiliar user. At least, to us. We haven't met them yet! It could be ages until we even get a glimpse of them…

And there Fritz stood, three hours in the past, atop the dining room table for about the third time today, passionately performing her newest screenplay: Erad's Fling. It's a heart-wrenching romantic drama, but a shitty one at best. I'll spare you the details. The pun, of course, refers to an aspect of our characters' universe, Erad's Ring, a location composed of three moons: Talus, Horus, and Milus. Many speculate that on the moon of Horus, there lies a great treasure; however, that treasure would be unavailable to anyone incapable of evading the two moons that violently orbit it, Talus and Milus. Which is everyone. At least, for now. Residents of Arothma, the planet home to the species known as fellows(or humans, as you would know them), generally regard this tale as truth, with some even worshipping the moons as deities. They're nothing but frauds, really.

"Wellllll...? Actually, don't even tell me. It's perfect. Decadent. Absolutely EXQUISITE!~" Fritz's expression displayed nothing but pure delight, the stars glimmering in the pupils of their eyes even in pure daylight as they stare down at their partner, awaiting their reaction.

"It's...well, it needs work." The boy staring back into Fritz's pale face chuckles to himself silently, brushing back their mountain of thick, curly hair just barely enough to see without obstruction. "It was pretty funny though. Did you write all those jokes yourself?"

"...Netylla, it wasn't a comedy." Right, right. Thank you for the reminder, Fritz, even though I know you can't hear me. It's the thought that counts, you know? Still, I've yet to formally introduce these two: Netylla Vortis, and Fritz Sylvus. They happen to be two members of differing species, Fritz being of the pariah kind and Netylla being of the drakalt kind, but I'll discuss world logistics later. Right now, we have action to get to.

"Oh...uh...maybe...you should consider making it one...?"

"In your DREAMS. This play is going to be the best I've ever made, just you wait. It's going to make us RICH, Tyl. RICH!~"

"I'm behind you 100%, but I hope you know this play is most likely not going to make us rich, right? I mean, in the off-chance that it did, I'd buy a ton of gold doubloons. Like, a fuck-ton. And then I'd buy a boat. I think you know where this is going."

"Tyl, your pirate fanfiction never ceases to amuse me. Why haven't you considered becoming a writer with me?"

"No way. Writing isn't my style. Plus, what would happen if it turned out I was better than you?"

"Oh please, darling, that's not an issue. I'm simply the best there IS!~" And then, the pair proceeded to do mushy couple things for the next millennium, and they all lived happily ever after. Except, if it wasn't for the fact that the two of them had both received a request to join a chatroom at precisely the same moment from a completely unfamiliar user. Usually, they would ignore these types of messages, as the two of them were both accustomed to fans texting every now and then to comment on the state of Netylla's flowers, or something to that degree. This wasn't one of those times, and they both knew that. Maybe it was the fact that the chatroom's name was possibly the most passive-aggressive thing they'd ever seen, or maybe it was just that some part of this gave them a sense of déja vu. Or, more accurately, a sense of destiny pulling them toward it. It felt like fate.

The two would proceed to look up from their phones and into each other's eyes, giving one last silent nod before accepting the chatroom request. Not long after, they would regret this decision more than anything.

And not a single second later, the scene has shifted to focus on a shadowed figure staring mindlessly into a dim computer screen, a single sigh escaping what you presume to be their mouth. It's not like they're an alien, though. It's their mouth. They just sighed from their normally placed mouth, on their normally shaped face, into their normally shaped computer. Again, not an alien. Well, I mean, unless you consider the term "alien" to mean someone from another planet and/or of another species, which in this case they would fit the description...I'm sidetracking again. Sorry, sorry, let's get back to where we were. Oh, it seems our mysterious, shadowy figure has stepped away from their computer and...has completely disappeared in the dark of their room. Stupid lousy pariahs, always hiding in the dark like the nocturnal rodents they are. While we're here, I suppose I could explain what a "pariah" actually is. It's a species fairly similar to fellows, except with their kind having evolved to living underground so long that they no longer require sunlight to live. Pariahs tend to live in one-room burrows all by themselves, and conduct most, if not all of their businesses online. Yadda yadda, boring species stuff...if you really wanna learn about them, you can read the stupid entry. It seems our unidentified figure has finally returned into the light, anyway.

It's a bit of a runaround to just refer to them as "shadowy figure" or some cagey bullshit like that(excuse my repeated profanity), so I'd rather just tell you that this is Cora Verdan, the world's most antisocial pariah. Get it..? Because pariahs are already an antisocial species, therefore making them more antisocial than the most antisocial beings in the Kalds System...jeez. You really have no sense of humor, do you?

"fuck, the lens on my glasses fell out again. now i have to crawl around on the fucking floor looking for these dumb fucks..." Oh dear, look at that! I got so distracted that I almost missed the start of the action! I apologize sincerely for the interruption, and I'll keep quiet for a while now. Pay attention! This part's important. And in case you can't see it, I'm winking at you. Wink!

"grrgghh...guess i'm going to be fucking blind today. fuck. whatever." The relatively short, sort-of stocky teenage pariah who we know to be Cora slowly sat back in their chair, groaning again with dread as their eyes slowly shifted to a chatroom open on their computer screen. They knew what this conversation was going to entail, and they also knew it wasn't going to be fun. Whatever the opposite of fun was, this was going to be it. Anti-fun. (I apologize for Cora's vulgarity on behalf of them...it really is appalling how much they say the word 'fuck' in one sentence. Sorry, now I'll cease the pestering!)

"fuck it. let's do this." Nothing better than a statement of pure confidence like that to push someone to do something as gruelling as talking to people, at least for someone like Cora. Their fingers, limbless puppets acquiescing to their will, sloppily land over the keyboard, cautiously waiting for the idea of what to say to be sparked into existence. They only had so much time, and every second matters when things are this dire. It was time to be the leader they'd dreamed of being for so long.

[] Chatroom piss-poor attempt at making idiots listen to me is officially open! []

CV: hey fuckers.

CV: it's me again.

How interesting! I'm going to need to make another hole, hold on...do you really need me to describe this too? Alright, alright, fine. You see Porter stick their beautifully long hands out in front of them, creating a thick collection of air into a single vacuum before birthing another hole, or "portal", as you would describe it. The second hole rests itself right beside the other, two perfectly circular windows to another world sitting right in front of you. Could you ask for a better storyteller? Don't bother answering that, because no, no you couldn't.

Now, through both points of view delivered to you by your gracious host, you see several teenagers simultaneously open their phones and sigh, as if they've all received a disappointing message at the exact same time. First, Netylla and Fritz, who we've already seen, still sneaking looks at each other every off-moment as if it would bring them out of the situation somehow. Then, Em, and a woozy Abysma, both sitting across from each other yet feeling separated by an ocean of regret. Ocha and Jude, both anxiously waiting for the "big news" to be revealed as Jude half-watches Ocha, making sure she doesn't try anything fishy while they're distracted. Gamma /reluctantly waits for the next message to be sent along with the rest of them, while our last player, Kizoku, stuffs another fistful of CheezyzTM in his face with no regard for the health consequences. I mean, come on, those things are terrible for you...have some self-respect! Finally, we return to the screen of Cora Verdan, whose expression has remained a mix of both seething anger and genuine disappointment for the past ten minutes.

"take your time, cora. it's not that bad." It must be pretty bad if you have to tell yourself that, to be honest. And right as they say that, the clock strikes 10:00 PM, on the dot. they've all got about two hours left. Will they make it? Who knows!

(P.S: They're going to make it, don't worry!)

GS: Please, please let this be a joke.

ON: I don't believe it is, Gamma…

GS: Don't address me. You've lost that privilege.

ON: I was just...

JN: Ocha, for fuck's sake, not now.

FS: LANGUAGE, dear!~

NV: (Fritzy, you're embarrassing me...)

FS: (Would you like me to tone it down a bit..?)

AS: Oh fuck, I don't know how much more of this I can take. Please, for the love of Solace, hurry up and get this over with.

JN: Jeez, somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

AS: You could say that, I guess. Though, if you're wondering why I'm so peeved right now, you might want to ask Em.

JN: Em? Got any info to lay on us?

EW: No comment.

AS: Oh bullshit, he socked my ass like an hour ago. Bruised the fuck out of my face.

NV: He did what now, Abysma?

AS: He punched mjjfdfghfhofgh

AS: nOw heS fucKdfgdfghjing swdWighrHth mYfd kdndfEcybosdad

EW: What they meant to say was, I sfgdngf;f.g-3lmnnnncnfgfgf

PJ: ...I sincerely have no clue what is going on.

JN: WHAT THE FUCK YOU'RE AWAKE?

PJ: Well...yes! I awoke just a second ago, I apologize for worrying you.

GS: This is...very relieving news. We were all incredibly worried.

JN: Yeah! Why'd you have to go and pass out like that on us?

PJ: You see...I had a vision, and I just had to follow it! I had no clue it would incapacitate me for so long! Again, I truly apologize for the worry…

ON: It's...it's no-

JN: It's no big deal, Seph! We've got your back no matter what, yknow?

CV: oh my fucking solace.

CV: oh my fucking solace.

CV: are you all done yet?

NV: I mean, pr-

CV: don't fucking answer that.

KA: lmao chill out

KA: they dont even know whats going on give em a break

CV: give em a break? for what? all he did was fucking keyspam in here a bunch of times.

KA: no i mean give them a break

KA: em as in short for them

KA: like slang

KA: shut up

CV: okay, ignoring your stupid texting style, you're somewhat right i guess.

CV: listen up, fuckfaces. we're playing a game, and it's mandatory.

CV: no, this isn't some fun friend group bonding time or something, it's the end of the fucking world.

CV: we have less than two hours to all log in and start playing this dumb shit or life as we know it is going to be over.

CV: if you didn't understand that, let me summarize:

CV: play the fucking game or we're dead.

CV: do you all understand that?

PJ: I think I speak for all of the group when I say, well, this doesn't really make that much sense, CV!

CV: perseph you know my name is cora come the fuck on.

PJ: Okay, "cora", could you please explain what exactly this game is?

CV: sure thing. i don't actually know.

JN: Whaddya mean you "don't know"? You're making us play the stupid thing!

CV: because we have to.

CV: look, it doesn't matter what the game is. i know for a fact that if we don't play this, everything will go to shit real fast.

CV: it might go to shit anyways, but not nearly as bad as it would if we don't just play this fucking game.

GS: And why exactly should we trust, of all people, you?

CV: don't give me shit right now gam, this is serious.

CV: you're lucky i found ten copies of this shit, i would've left your ass out first.

GS: Noted.

CV: whatever.

CV: i'm sending all of you the digital copy of this thing.

[] CaliginousVirtues has sent 9 chat users party.exe []

CV: there's info and shit about the game in there.

CV: when you download the actual game, log in with your chumpchat info and just wait until we can all connect.

CV: i would prefer you do it as soon as possible.

CV: you know, to avoid utter fucking destruction via world-ending tragedy.

CV: are we all in consensus?

AS: Yeah, sure. I mean, it's better than getting punched in the face after getting broken up with. Real insult to injury, if you know what I mean.

NV: Em, I promise you, I will find you.

EW: No, you won't.

[] EmbersWaning has left the chatroom. []

NV: Oh, the little fuck.

FS: Calm down, calm down...let's make some tea, okay?

[] ForShame has left the chatroom. []

[] NegativeVerdancy has left the chatroom. []

PJ: So, Cora, do you just intend for us to follow your every desire with no true reasoning to back it up?

CV: and this is where i close the room. goodnight, idiots. please, for the love of solace, play the game.

PJ: We're not done here, Cora!~

[] CaliginousVirtues has closed the chatroom. []

Oh, what a mess, what a mess indeed. I truly worry for our players, or at least, for how long they'll last...after all, the longer they play, the better! It's much more entertaining when there's more to watch...don't you agree? Of course you do, don't answer that. Now let's continue before we run out of time! We're on a tight schedule, and as much as I'd like to, I can't change time. Get a move on!

Wait, right...I'm supposed to be telling this story. My apologies! We'll get right to it.

Cora, now triumphant in the one task they'd been dreading all day, closes out of their Chumpchat for the night and opens the same file they'd sent everyone else. For some reason, it hadn't been available to open until this exact moment, indicated by the timer at the top right of the application slowly counting down to approximately 11:00 PM. Holy fuck, they thought, that whole chatroom fuckaroo ate up a whole hour. It didn't matter, though, so long as they managed to log in before the next timer hit zero. This one was much bigger, plastered in thick, blaring red comic sans font in the dead center of the screen, slowly ticking down as if to both intimidate and lure Cora in at the same time. And by Solace, it was fucking working. The computer let out a sad, single note that sounded much more like a whine than anything, accompanied by nothing more than complete silence for the next hour. They would then spend the rest of this hour just sitting back in their chair, cautiously letting their teammates(if you could even call them that), figure out how to run a computer application on their own. It wouldn't be that hard...right?

Kizoku's last hour would run a little differently than his fellow pariah's. Which is to say, yes, he's a pariah. Let's establish also that his name is Kizoku Archal, and he's known for being the world's laziest hard worker. He'd spend maybe a half an hour playing video games before growing tired of them, instead opting for pacing around his room for the back half of the hour. It'd be much creepier if anyone could see him talking to himself...which they can. It's creepy, Kizoku. Nevertheless, pariahs are an interesting species unto themselves. Not much left worth mentioning here, except that he would nearly forget to do the one thing Cora asked of him. Then again, that's a topic for later.

Em and Abysma, without saying a word to each other regarding their recent interactions, both set up their respective computers directly across from each other as if to create some sort of barrier between them, almost as a passive-aggressive maneuver. Of course, /they would only keep this short separation for this last hour. Time would pass for the two of them infinitely slower than for any of the other players, seemingly torturing the pair for not remedying things earlier. So, Em thought it'd be a good idea to break the ice. Not the first thing he's broken today, anyways.

"...Listen, Ab.."

"Oh Solace, please don't do this right now. Please tell me you're NOT trying to make up for punching me in the face right now."

"It was an accident..? Can you just let me apologize, and then you can throw your fucking tantrum?"

"You expect me to let you apologize after that? No, no. You've lost that privilege."

"Screw you."

"You know, I used to really care about you."

"And you probably still do? IT. WAS. AN. HOUR. AGO." The contempt in their voices grew with each word, yet both of them seemed to be fighting back a feeling of care for each other as well. It seems to be the case, very often, that those who love each other so dearly never truly communicate to each other those feelings. Instead, the two now lie in a horribly toxic relationship, with both of them to blame. Such a pity.

"Just...for the love of Solace, shut up."

"Stop saying Solace so damn much. When that thing implodes on us, it's going to be your fault."

"Sigh." The two drift off into their separate rooms now, with Abysma taking their leave and locking the door to their previously shared bedroom. Now, it's...Ab's bedroom, I assume? It's not that it particularly matters, I just happen to be curious whose room it would be now. No matter, for the both of them have logged in and are waiting alongside Cora for the game to begin. The chimes from their respective computers ring out through the hallways of their empty-feeling home, resonating a much more lonely feeling than before. 7 more to go.

Fritz leans their head against the pillow of the bed they share with Netylla, trying to comprehend half of the rambling their boyfriend is currently spewing out, while simultaneously trying to think of alternate dialogue scenes for their screenplay. Storytelling is a lot of work, you know!

"Look at it this way, if the world was ending-"

"Which it is, Tyl."

"Right, but just hear me out. What happens next?"

"Elaborate a little, for me?~"

"What I mean is, even if we manage to make it out of here before the universe dies, which I assume is the point of this game, what next? Where do we go? Is there a habitable place for us to live? Do we have any idea what lies beyond the Kalds System?"

"Nope...but it sure is exciting to think about..!~"

"It's...more unnerving, really." Netylla exhales deeply, finally sitting down on the side of the bed, accepting the motions from their significant other as a signal to lay down in their arms, which they do without another thought.

"Fritz...do you think we're going to make it?"

"I...that's a heavy question, dear.."

"Just be honest, for once."

"...Alright..? I..." A long pause precedes Fritz's next words, as they carefully decide what the right thing to say actually is.

"I think we're going to be just fine, Netylla. Don't fret it any more, okay..?"

"...Okay." The two share an intimate kiss, holding each other in a raw moment of silence before mutually agreeing to follow suit with the rest of the group and log into the game's waiting room. Tossing their computers out messily onto their bed, they both open the client and join the other three members as of now, locked in to the fate that awaits them. Two low notes emanate from their computers, the one from Netylla's slightly higher and more melodic than Fritz's. Only 5 remain.

Persephone Juxtas, the previously incapacitated psychic, is only awake for about a minute before being swarmed by two of her roommates, Jude and Gamma, the third of which, Ocha, tippy-toes from what Jude considered a "safe distance" away from Persephone, trying to catch a glimpse of their condition.

"Solace fuck, Perseph, you scared the balls out of us..." Jude seems to be the most visibly concerned out of the trio, nearly bawling her eyes out at the sight of Persephone moving again. She tries her best, however, to make sure they're comfortable, despite being a little overbearing and emotional in this particular situation.

"...Well, that's one way to put it...I think what they mean is that, yes, we were deeply worried for you and your wellbeing..." Gamma, while more composed, shows about as much concern as they can with their eyes covered, feeling around to his partner on the ground, and gently placing his hand on theirs. They squeeze each other's hands as if to make sure it's not a dream, and then sigh in relief simultaneously.

"And while I'd love to get you to a medical professional, Jude is going to have to do..."

"HEY! I'm...pretty good at it, I think!"

"...plus, we have to commence the game soon. I hope you'll be in a condition to play?" Jude reaches out their hand for Persephone to hold as she is hoisted from the ground onto her feet, wobbling a little before coming to their normal, stable stance.

"...Okay, alright. I've stood by this for much too long." Ocha's entrance into the conversation is nothing short of confident and prideful, despite recently being condemned for, supposedly, causing Persephone to faint.

"You two need to stop giving her so much...shit just as she's recovering. Lay off, for once." Her words echo through the room, now given power by her stunning gain in confidence. The trio is nothing short of stunned as Ocha continues speaking with no reservation, paralyzed by both fear and the innate human instinct to recognize what she truly was: a leader.

"Jude. You've done what you can. Go get our laptops so we can log into this stupid game. Gamma, stay with Persephone and attend to their needs. And Persephone, please lay down and drink some water. If Cora's not lying their ass off, we're going to need you soon."

"And why should we listen to you, Miss Proud...stupid...uh...SMARTASS?!"

"Because I'm right, Jude. And you know I am. Stop being arrogant and just listen, because we can't afford infighting for shit." Jude simply grumbles, acquiescing to the command their sister gave them, and slouching over to grab the computers from the other room. Still, a bad interaction couldn't keep their optimism down for long, as Jude was on her toes again in no time, delivering the group's four near-identical laptops with a stupid grin plastered on their face yet again.

"Thank you, dearest sibling."

"You're not off the hook for earlier, y'know. We're going to talk about it, just not now."

"Yeah, yeah...spare me the complaining, and let's just log in already." She'd smile a little at her sibling, before noticing that Jude didn't share the same light mood to the situation. Despite claiming her authority again, Ocha was still in some pretty hot water.

"Are we all prepared to begin?" Gamma's finger was anxiously hovering over the enter key, desperately waiting for just one person to give them the go-ahead to get into the game already. In case you hadn't noticed, Gam loved games of all kinds, including video games, so it was natural that he would be a little antsy to get going. Lucky for him, the rest of the group was just as impatient.

"One second...Persephone, Jude, Gam...I believe so!" It was a little silly, but Ocha felt it was much easier to keep track of things by orating them back to herself, because, "a thought is nothing until you say it," according to her. Though, everyone is pretty sure she stole it from some philosopher in the 1800s, even though she insists it's an original motto.

"Well, I'm not waiting any longer, let's get on with this fucking thing!" Jude's finger slams down onto the keyboard, with the other three members of the group following suit as four other notes chime out of their computers. And really, that's it. The rest of the evening is spent lying on the floor in excruciating boredom, with several dry conversation topics circulating between the four of them every now and then. Thankfully, that leaves only one more player to connect with the rest.

We now focus both screens back onto Kizoku, whose full attention is currently placed on a screen depicting a cartoonish figure engaging in several acts of japery and tomfoolery, ultimately leading to them learning a lesson in the end. The show's title flashes on screen for a moment: Sprunko's Wonderful World. Kizoku was unsure why he had such a fascination with the show, whether it was the main character who he could heavily relate to or the aimless, childlike nature of the show, or maybe just because it was more mindless TV for him to watch, but the title sequence blaring in his face reminded him that he had somewhere more important to be. Kizoku grabbed his computer, peeling the cover open only to find that there was just barely enough time for him to log in. Thank Solace, too, because it would have been truly tragic if he hadn't. A final chime rings from the computer as Kizoku releases a sigh he'd been saving for a couple hours now, sinking back into his custom-made bean bag chair, which hopefully, we'll get to discussing later.

Now, every player has finally been ushered into the lobby, even with Kizoku's near-catastrophic lateness. The scene doesn't change much for Kizoku or Cora, at least, not at first glance; however, for the rest of the players, the changes are obvious. All of them see the slowly expanding light of the Kalds System's sole star, Solace, seeing more and more of the world covered in pure, white light before...nothing. It takes them a few seconds to realize what's happened, but by the time they do, it's already paralyzed them in fear. Solace, without any warning at all, sucked itself into oblivion, leaving the rest of the universe behind. To sum it up in the shortest terms possible: the sun has fucking disappeared. It's gone, and there's nothing they can do about it.

And to make matters worse, so has Em.

That, my dear reader, is where this portion of the story ends. I cannot tell you how much remains, but I can tell you that there is much, much more to tell. From here on out starts the real story: the true Cosmic Conundrum.

[End of the Prologue.]