Claire
It wasn't fun getting thrown around, nor was it fun getting thrown into trees; unfortunately, I didn't have a choice in the matter, as my limber form crashed back-first through a very sturdy tree.
The impact left me gasping for air, with my lungs feeling as if they were going to pop under any more stress than they were currently being put under. While I'd most likely survive, I'd prefer not knowing what it would be like for my lungs to fill with my own blood.
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Narration
Hundreds of miles away, Engel was walking with Oliver to school, but a rock that wasn't previously there appeared, causing him to trip and fall onto Oliver.
This led them both to be in a very... exotic position, with Engel lying atop Oliver, who was currently stomach down, looking back at the recovering form of Engel with a devious pink gaze and a teasing little smile.
He was promptly scoffed at before Engel looked away with a light dust painting his cheeks.
However, on a darker note, we can see the exposed flesh and the slurry of gore that was Abbie's chest as he gagged and gurgled on his own blood, the bare form of Ms. Circle being the only thing in the empty void that could even give him a little comfort in his time of progression; death would not claim him, for it had no say in the domain he agonized in.
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Claire
Grunting, I stood from my prone position, looking back at Nyx as he prepared to charge me again; however, after being thrown around so much, I had managed to get a pin on what he'd usually do before he went about the throwing process.
Dodging to the left, I managed to avoid his usual lunge before I quickly leaped as high as the canopy, narrowly avoiding the ethereal beartrap that almost sprouted into existence under my foot, its teeth packing enough power to snap through even my odd bones.
That experience was a lot more painful when it wasn't something I was actively doing to myself to please Alice.
My palm grasped one of the canopy's tree branches before I did a twirl on it, my body launching itself away just in time to avoid the reflective blade of water that would have taken my lower torso off had I not executed my exit as well as I did; that was yet another very painful experience he put me through.
However, this was as far as I got last round, so it wasn't a surprise when his form blitzed me with another new attack; this one lying in his palm as reality seemed to pixelate around it, like a bug infecting game code.
Not long after the blitz, I was lying against another tree while my body flickered with stray pixels.
After catching my breath, I turned to look at the man clad in all black, his silver gaze watching me with curiosity as he smoothly flicked his hand of the remaining pixels, painting it.
"What was that?" I asked while propping myself up.
Nyx himself looked to think on my query before seemingly coming up with what he would call a 'suitable definition'.
"It's exactly what it looks like: pixels. However, I imagine you're looking for a more descriptive explanation, so I'll dumb it down for you. It's a minor magic that slightly alters reality, its existence being made up of a special matter spawned from the integration of magic and technology. It allows the welder to pull from something that I have personally dubbed 'The Database', a pocket dimension where most of the technological matter gathers immediately after its conversion from base matter; it's honestly a spectacle, one that I was lucky to master."
My brow was raised at this point, the orbs of silver sparkling with a newfound curiosity that burned just as bright as my love for Alice.
"Wow, so what can it do?"
Nyx gained a grin.
"Well, it can do a lot of things; from manipulating and compressing the special mana into specific objects to raising digital dead. However, it doesn't come without some complications, so your chances of learning it are null at the moment; maybe later, but for now, get back up: we're going another round until dodging becomes a part of your brain."
I groaned at both the sudden topic drop and the continuation of our sparring before unwillingly pushing myself up and onto my feet.
'I should have stayed in bed with Alice,' were my thoughts as I once again went back to the bullet hell.
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Oliver
"Come on, don't be shy," I said with a smile while continuing to hold out my hand for Engel to take, my pink gaze watching with ferocious possessiveness as he continued to look at the outstretched palm with skepticism and bits of fear.
It was honestly very annoying, so it didn't take long for my leniency to falter, leading to my once patient hold to reach further, its form grasping at his shivering palm as the pressure from its grasp had him groaning in pain.
I promptly ignored his dismay and discomfort as I started dragging him down the sidewalk, his feet barely finding enough ground to keep himself from falling flat; eventually, he fell in line to my right, his green gaze looking forward as the orbs shook with taint amounts of fear.
Giggling, I spoke.
"My, someone's a little rabbit today; say, what's got your nerves all frayed like this?" I asked, knowing full well what they were about.
I admired how his nerves steeled before his vocals were let free.
"You know exactly what's got me like this, you megalomaniac..."
His sudden halt in dialogue had me curious, so I turned my full attention to him before watching in fascination and pleasure as his emerald orbs churned with what looked to be preparation.
"Eighty-Two subtract point seven, what is it?"
My brow squinted in confusion before my equally confused voice responded.
"Eighty-one, point Three; why do you as-"
I didn't get a chance to finish as he shot me another question.
"Fifty-seven times seven and then subtract two hundred, what is it?" he asked, his voice sounding just a bit more hesitant as he seemed to eagerly await my answer, something that didn't take long as my gaze unknowingly flickered crimson in the effort to solve it.
"One hundred and ninety-nine. Engel, what are these question abo-"
The severe confusion I was feeling was teetering on the edge of oblivion as he once again interrupted my query, its form rimming the edge of anger.
"Two hundred and fifty-two thousand subtract negative eight hundred and sixty-six point nine, what is it?"
The fog in my head lifted as my crimson gaze reared back with the exact answer to another of his odd questions.
"It's two hundred and fifty-two thousand, eight hundred and sixty-six point nine," I shook my head as confusion mounted again, "Engel, what the hell's with these questions, I mean, come on, I'm sure you can agree that math is a big bitch most of the time."
The query was again ignored as Engel just sighed in relief, his forest orbs no longer shaking, and his sweaty hands no longer felt sweaty.
My confused crimson gaze soon filled with realization as I understood his ignorance and odd pop quiz.
"Engel, did you just suppress me with math?"
The cheeky yet cute bastard scoffed but didn't refute, showing that he had indeed done so.
I huffed with a grin before nodding and continuing to look ahead.
My pace had slowed to something more manageable for him because if I had continued on this walk as I usually did, he would most likely have been left behind or down an arm, as my strength would likely have ripped the fragile limb out of its socket.
Neither outcome would be preferable, as I was really enjoying the neglected hold he still had on my palm, it's being most likely still there because he'd forgotten about it in favor of calming my perspective: a reasonable endeavor.
It wasn't long before our quiet walk was interrupted by a familiar face, his orbs of purple watching the scene with a grin as he waved.
"Yo, Oliver, Engel; I see you two are getting along."
And just like that, he'd earned more of my scorn, as at the call out, Engel quickly retracted his arm with a humph, his head turning as far away from my direction as it could while he crossed his arms.
My crimson glare mounted Edward as I clicked my teeth in annoyance, the intent behind my eyes showing all too clearly for Edward to miss.
However, even after I saw the bastard gain that understanding, he had the gall to chuckle before closing the once paramount distance, before he clapped me on the shoulder with a thumbs up, his vocals speaking softly into my ear so as to not let the other member of my party hear.
"Not even a day, and you've already made progress. You work fast, my temperamental friend."
A mock grin appeared on my face as I whispered back.
"Temperamental, huh? Don't worry; I'll show you how temperamental I am when you find your game files missing."
I enjoyed how his face shifted from that uncaring calm to an edged nervousness as his brow began to gain beads of sweat.
"Now, now, Oliver, there's no need to resort to such heinous acts, I'm sure we can settle this like civilized men, with words and stuff."
The grin painted on my lips never fell as I sang some more mock words.
"Right, civilized, just too old friends just talking, just me, you, and Zip; I'm sure she'd love to hear some little details on your... nightlight activities with her photos."
I took joy in the look of horror that appeared on his face at the mention of his activities, another unfortunate secret that had accidentally made its home in my head as I was forced into silence by pleas from a friend.
But in all honesty, I didn't think there was much of a need for the secrecy, as I knew Zip had her own dwellings with a picture of him in nothing but swimming trunks she got a year or so ago; they were like two male Sandhill Cranes that had mistaken each other as female and were desperately dancing in circles to goad the other into mating, except one was a female and they were both dating for 'Eko' sake.
I'm sure it wouldn't be hard for them to just go for the claim already, it's not like it's rare for teenagers to do so; matter of fact, studies have already shown that the age group with the most claims were teens, with a close follow up being young adults who had just left their teens.
It often made me wonder if I was truly the only one with succubus DNA running through them, as my generation was like a bunch of rabbits in heat that could probably even give my libido a run for its money.
I was pulled from my thoughts as Engel called out to our playing pair, his forest gaze flickering with something that looked oddly familiar, Jealousy. However, the thought was quickly quenched as the flicker sparked with annoyance.
The gaze quickly shut down our bickering as Edward nervously yet quietly fell in line to my left, his own purple gaze finding the distant visage of our enormous school building appealing as his orbs blurred with something deeper than just surface thought.
Ignoring him, I looked at the hand that was now lying at Engels' left, its form lying limp and seemingly inviting as it swayed with his stride.
It was tempting, so very tempting, but I withheld, as the original hand-holding was only brought out due to force and its excessive use, something I didn't want to do every time I wanted to do something as simple as locking grasps.
Sighing, I looked forward as I prepared for the relatively long walk; however, much to my delight, the temptation was fulfilled by the other party, his hand finding my own as he clamped down on it with as much strength as he could.
Looking at him, I soaked in the feeling of elation when I saw his face painted with another faint red blush.
When our eyes locked, he quickly looked away with a scoff as the blush painting his cheeks deepened substantially, leaving me to smile ear to ear as my hand clasped his back, its form gentle so as to not cause any more harm than it already had today.
The rest of the walk was amazing, and very romantic in my opinion; it was something that I wished to stick with for the rest of my immortal life, even if I had plans to relinquish his mortality later.
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Abbie
My golden orbs opened slowly, and with their breach, came the beautiful yet odd view of the beauty that was my Claim, her obsidian eyes framed by her wild black hair, the slit pupils of which were wide and almost lifeless as they were stilled.
Trying to reach up, I found that my arm was significantly heavier than I remembered. Where it was once like a sheet of paper, it now felt as if blocks of lead were weighing on it; the other arm was no exception.
Hesitantly relinquishing my gaze on the still form of Ms. Circle, I turned to check on my arms, both appendages having felt too odd to ignore at the moment.
When my pure orbs met the sight of the golden carapace gauntlets, they couldn't help but shy away, as the newly armored appendages were far too bright for a pair of recently opened eyes to handle, their forms having since lingered and reveled in the darkness in which were their prison in my time of excruciating anguish.
Slowly, my fingers flexed, feeling out the new additions and restrictions they came with, as even if I could physically see them forming a full fist, it was like there was an inch or so of space my fingers couldn't fully grasp, a minuscule space that just felt wrong; it also didn't help that I couldn't feel anything at all, almost like the entire nervous system that once was set in my arms were gone.
It was terribly uncomfortable, yet also kinda fascinating, as it meant that every nerve that was in my arm no longer existed, or was degraded into substance for the golden armor.
As I continued to flex every part of my arm, something made itself known to me: a point, or a muscle in my palm; it was tight, almost like a spring, however, something was keeping it from decompressing, a lever of some sort, one that was latched to it like a leach, one that felt as if it would fell if even touched in the wrong way, one that I felt control over.
Brushing that muscle, even a little, resulted in something surprising, as my arm, once lying down, palm up, was launched up like a spring, with the culprit being a sleek barbed golden blade that looked like it came straight from a monster customization screen. It looked exactly like that of a mantis' arm, except it was painted gold and slapped onto me.
The blade, flexed and stretched with my wrist, driving forward when my palm was facing back at me and receding when it faced out; an uppercut would be deadly to most, and that made me slightly elated.
Messing with the springlike muscle again, I found that when brushed again, the blade snapped back to the crevasse it sprang from in my arm; the missing nevers were making more sense the longer I stared at the closed pocket of skin as if they were still there, I'd likely be in a lot of pain like I was a few nights ago.
I shivered at the recall before my gaze drifted to what used to be a bloody mess.
Looking at my chest, I found no substantial changes, with everything looking relatively the same, however, that wasn't to say everything was normal, as I could see that my once pale body had darkened a little, almost like I'd been out in the sun too long and gained a small tan.
Honestly, give me a nice lean six-pack and Egyptian wolf headdress, and I might look like that Cyno guy from Genshin Impact.
A chuckle managed to slip from my throat, but was quickly halted when nothing but hard growls exerted themselves instead.
My mind froze, confusion setting in as I let out another testing chuckle, trying to see if what I heard was a trick of the mind, it was not, and what greeted me wasn't a laugh but another growl, one that while sounding similar to joy in tone, held no remanence of human vocals.
"What/Grrr?"
The heavy arms attached to my torso were slowly lifted as they gentely caressed the throat that held the vocals I was used to, however, when they ran over the spot my voice box was suposed to be in, they were met with nothing but muscle, as another unusualy change was made known to me, one that I found very problematic, as without a proper voice I wouldn't be able to exspress my love verbly to my darling; it was preposterous.
Unable to accept this change, I tried speaking to Tanya, her form still as motionless as a statue.
"Love? Please tell me you can understand me," the second part was met with nothing but a snarl.
However, I paid little heed to it as something more pressing just made itself known to me, one that required my undivided attention; she didn't even twitch.
Worriedly, my weighted right arm made its way up to her elevated cheek, its form softly caressing it as I ignored the feeling of loss from the lack of warmth I'd usually feel when I touched her.
She did not react in the slightest, even when my other hand playfully poked at her stomach.
Squinting, I forced myself to rise from my prone position before putting one of my wolf ears to her bare chest, its form immediately picking up a strong heartbeat as some sybalance of peace burned away most of the fear I was holding back, but not all of it, as the mystery of why she was so still layered on, the reason peaking through the void as it remained concealed from my worry.
Grunting, I propped myself up sluggishly before leaning against her, my regular ear doing a double-check to make sure what my animalistic ear heard was truly right; I was again relieved to find that it was.
Bringing my face up to hers, I looked for any signs that would point to her sentience but found none.
I bit my lip until it bled, thinking of what was going on with her, and all around just praying to 'Eko' that she wasn't hurt like the kind of hurt I was thinking of.
Drawing my lips a bit closer, I gave her a desperate peck on the lips, hoping that affection or something of the sort would draw her from wherever her hopefully active mind had dragged her to.
What I didn't expect to happen was for my left hand to slap me silly, its solid form leaving me dazed as my neck whipped to the side.
My solid golden orbs stared into the void in shock as I recovered from the blow, my mind racing in an attempt to even slightly comprehend the limb's sudden act of violence and even treason as it turned on its owner.
Turning back, I was left even more baffled to find the appendage flipping me off with great vigor, the middle finger of which stood at a perfect ninety-degree angle while the other digits around it compressed themselves into the palm as tight as they could in what seemed to be an attempt to flip me off harder.
I wanted to laugh, I really did, but both my vocals and worry kept the brief respite at bay, leaving me to frown while trying to flick away the sudden lack of control I had over the antagonizing limb.
The attempt worked little, as the offensive limb never lost its offensive slur given physical form, if only making it more bold in its attempt to really drive home the fact that it was telling me to fuck off, or something similar.
It wasn't long before I completely disregarded the lack of control and sudden sentience my arm had gained. Instead, I went back to aching in worry over Tanya, her form still very unresponsive to anything going on around it.
Running out of options, I fell back on one of the more daring options, pleasure.
With the arm I still had control over, I moved to her clit, or tried, as I was once again palmed in the face by my other hand, its form striking me far harder than it originally did.
The anger that I hadn't noticed mounting took a big chunk out of my restraint as my pure orbs of gold turned molten in irritation, their gaze finding the limb of assault with scorn.
However, all that did was earn me another strike as a noticeable mark was made ever more present on my reddening face, the realization that this problem would have to be dealt with first, striking the iron that was being molded in worry at the perfect temperatures, enough to turn the worry into rage.
In a very, and I mean very, rash move, the blade of my other arm slid out with speed before the barbs tried snaring the limb for amputation, the keyword was tried, as the limb responded similarly, if not better, as it took advantage of the armored appendage by getting the barbed blade stuck in the divots and cresses meant to keep the arm mobile, before it then proceeded to snap the organic blade in two, leaving the disconnected half to fall into the void as it seemed to be eaten by the floor.
The other half immediately retracted back into its home before I could feel the tell-tale signs of regeneration beginning to work on it. It was most definitely trying to fix the damage as fast as it could.
My anger waned when the limb that bested me immediately pointed at the still form of Tanya.
I didn't get it at first, still angry, but when the sentient limb made a half-heart on her chest, I realized the odd reality of why Ms. Circle was so still and quickly tried to affirm if what I was thinking was true.
'Is that you, darling?'
Even with the question being asked in my thoughts, the limb gave me a thumbs up, leaving me to believe without a shadow of a doubt that she was currently inhabiting my arm, and only 'Eko' knows why.
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Asrel
"Remember, Asrel, whenever you feel bad or hurt, just think of something, something that makes you happy, something you love," spoke the voice of my father as his tender, flamed irises gazed at me with a loving smile.
I still remember when my own teal gaze looked up at him with confusion before a shout of exclamation left my lungs with power.
"But Papa, why would I think of it when I'm right next to it? That's just silly." I giggled as the last part was spoken, but enjoyed how the few short words painted a smile on my doting father's face as he picked me up and spun me around like a merry-go-round.
Looking back on it, I couldn't help but both adore and resent the moment, as while it was one of my core memories of him, it was also the most painful. I wish he had truly gone into how much the hidden meaning would hurt, or how much I'd agonize not just in body, but mind as well.
The door to the spare room I was sleeping in drew me from my thoughts as I watched the lady with hidden horns walk in with a silver tray in hand, its form carrying a plate with bacon and eggs on it, an undeserved treat that I rarely enjoyed in my old home with how expensive the meat had gotten.
She set the tray on the shelf next to the bed before having a seat next to me, her hazel orbs of care unknowingly wasting away as the feeling was smothered by my silent self-loathing, its existence since becoming a commonplace after my family's slaughter; no, that's a lie, it has been there for a good while, I'd just never bothered to acknowledge it, hoping it would fade with time: it was a foolish hope, but one I was sure many had thought the same.
"You know, if you keep staring off into space like that, you might call forth a dream eater," were the words that halted my self-taunts as my teal gaze rendered her own, the owner of which bore a small yet seemingly hesitant smile, one that really highlighted her inexperience with people like me.
'No, I think it's more of she just doesn't know how to deal with whiny children, let alone one as whiny as you, I mean, come on, that's all you've been doing since you've woken up.'
A vein on my head twitched in irritation as I responded to the unwanted opinion.
'I am not whiny... stupid Kane.'
Maybe I shouldn't have paused, and maybe, just maybe, I shouldn't have called Kane stupid, as the ethereal snort I heard in response was all it took for me to realize that I had just proven her right in almost every regard.
However, I was a pretty big sore loser, so I once again tugged on the base of my tail, cutting off her access to the outside, and earning a satisfying yelp as well.
'You're a bitch, you know that.'
I mentally grinned. 'And you're not?'
She scoffed. 'your right, but fuck you anyway.'
'Bet you would,' was my only response as her voice went silent afterward.
However, I don't think she missed the silent thanks I sent through my mind, as despite our bickering, she always knew how to get me out of the ditch of self-loathing I always managed to put myself in.
"I'm not joking, you know, keep staring off like that and you will actually summon one of those nasty creatures."
My focus returned as I looked at Ms. Thavel with curiosity. "A creature that eats dreams?"
She nodded, "Yep, little pest sticks around for about a day before sauntering off without really doing much," her eyes grew more understanding as she spoke, "and no, they won't take nightmares away, so don't even think about it."
My cheeks puffed. "Rats."
The comforting hand that found itself on my back was nice, and so were her words.
"Don't worry, they'll fade with time, I promise."
The moment was nice and stuck in the periphery of my thoughts, as a gentle grin never left my lips.
'Think of something nice when you feel bad... eh, Papa.'
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Pandora
"So, what does it do?" I asked while looking at the super duper big statue of what looked to be some random person wearing a stone cloak, or was it red? No, blue! No, no, definitely red! Wait, but what about white!? I say white! Ya, white, it's definitely a white cape.
I was interrupted a second later by Eros, his striking red and black gaze staring at the statue of stone with wonder and remembrance.
"Project 'Grief', a super weapon that would bring even the mighty 'Eko' to her knees, or so they say, but I highly doubt that as back when she was still around she could fold universes with her palms and stick them in her pocket like a stray coin you'd find under your couch," he turned to me with a smile, "she even had a similar personality to you, my little air head."
At the mention of the sweet yet sour treat, stars grew in my eyes.
"Ohh! I want an airhead! Can I have an airhead!? Please, please, I really want an airhead! I'll do anything! I promise!"
His smile only grew more caring as it deepened.
He booped me on the nose before speaking. "Trust me, Pandora, when this mission is over, I'll buy you an entire factory, no, an entire city dedicated to nothing but making the candy if you so desire."
My mouth watered in anticipation, while the box shifted just a bit faster, my desire for the treat fueling the millions of solutions I was constantly coming up with for the ever-growing billions of puzzles my other self was throwing at me; they were all so fun.
The box pulsed in agreement, the wave of which rocked up my form with elation as another few million puzzles threw themselves at me with vigor.
"Yay! Thank you so much!" I said while giving him the tightest hug I could, something everyone else, aside from Eros and Xiezhi, seemed to fear; it usually made me sad, but with the help of 'big brother Xiezhi' and 'father Eros', I'd get to hug them all I wanted, which made me super happy.
However, you can't tell them I called them that, as they tended to get super weird when I said it around them.
Eros gently stroked circles on my back before he softly broke the embrace.
"Alright, Pandora, we need to meet up with Xiezhi before the mission starts, as we are going to go over our formation again, that sound good?"
I didn't understand what he said, but I responded with eagerness anyway. "Yay! Dancing! Come on! Let's go dance!"
He chuckled, "Right, we'll be dancing for hours, Pandora, so be prepared."
Laughing, I skipped my way out of the really big chamber while holding hands with Eros; I couldn't wait to dance.