#mysmehalloweek

[shittylongcatposts]

So @mysmehalloweek is starting today

And i did a shitty drawing for Day 1: Autumn/ Pumpkin

[doriimaatoukonwrites]

Haunted

Summary: Today it was video, a memory of the past with V and Rika. All caught on camera all thanks to the In-Between. He was here, V was close by and you had to speak with him.  Prompt: Haunted  Characters: V, Rika and a bit of Jumin  Series: In-Between Part 5 FF.NET I AO3  Previous: Note: It’s past October and I didn’t manage to finish the prompts in time :’( but that doesn’t mean I’ve given up on the series. So here is my submission for Day 5 @mysmehalloweek if you’re still accepting submissions!  Writing is to be human and Editing is to be divine so thank you @inkandiron <3  ___________________________________

Click

The sound of the shutter is like music to your ears but you can't help but sigh at your poor attempt at taking photos in manual mode on the DSLR. The screen was all white and washed out. Only the faint outline of the tree could be seen but aside from that all the details were lost.

Sighing, you rummage through your bag and find your phone and send a text to 2B.

Ugh, my photos are turning out shit. HELP! Why is using a DSLR so difficult?! Look at my tree picture.

You turn the dial on your 9 year old camera to auto action mode and take another photo of the tree. This time the photo comes out perfect. Your phone beeps with a response from earlier.

Why are you outside taking photos?

You look up at the clouds for a moment and bask in the sunlight. You rub your arms as a chill passes through. The Mint Eye Castle… Saeyoung and his memories. The game was just supposed to be a game, but you go through your bag once more and pull out the metal cylindrical container. This tinderbox was real and every memory and experience Saeyoung had to relive was real.

You fiddle with the tinderbox, opening and closing the lid. You remember how you watched him change from Saeyoung Choi to Luciel, Agent 707. How his soft and guarded features changed the deeper into the castle you went. It was difficult watching him go through that.

A ghostly image of him appears in front of you, his eyes wide and his body shaking from waking up alone and without memories. The lantern his only lifeline in the dark is held with a firm grasp. You raise your hand to take hold of his hand again to calm him down, but the image fades away. It was a memory and your own hands begin to shake. You wanted to see him again, the real him.

Looking down at your phone and staring hard at 2B's question.

It was all too much.

Your life here mattered too. No matter how much you were pulled into their lives. You knew that you were always destined to fade away and come back to this world.

This was your life, here right now, at this very moment. That's why you were out here today because you had wanted to escape successfully for once. No more searching for overlapping points on a map. Today you would give importance to one of your own personal rituals coming up.

Focusing on the phone, you tell 2B about how nervous you were about the photoshoot that you were both planning to do. Despite owning a professional camera, you still took terrible and unflattering shots.

It was your yearly tradition to have a Halloween photoshoot. Usually, a third person would help take photos, but this year she had bailed on Halloween. You didn't want to let down 2B especially when she had spent so much time on her outfit this year. The phone in your hand beeps again with 2B's response to your complaints and worries about this photoshoot.

Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. It's not going to be as bad as you think. Have a little faith in yourself.

Her words cheer you up, but you wanted to practice photo composition a bit more. You tuck the phone into your bag and continue walking around. You kneel and point the camera at a few clusters of trees for the shot. You think the photo will look magical and gram-worthy for later, so when you look at the photo preview you feel like the air has been sucked right out of your lungs.

Your hands shake and the strength in your legs almost give out.

The camera screen is clear as a mirror and no matter how many times you exit from the screen and enter back into the preview the image does not change. Long golden locks and bright green eyes staring back at you. Her lips tug up in a soft smile and her hands are tucking away a stray lock of hair. It was her. The Saviour. Your mind flashes to the castle and the Rika you found there. Her serene face that you see now is replaced with a snarling one, with her clawed hands lunging towards you in that dark chamber filled with magenta electricity.

Your hands shake as you raise up the camera again. Click.

The preview shows the same thing as last time except the image is now closer. Her hands are reaching out towards you but instead of her wild and frenzied eyes, she is looking at you with a soft expression like a child fascinated by a small bird.

You want to run home and slam the door shut. Rika. The Saviour. She was the last person that you wanted to see. Not after what she had done to everyone just to save them all. But, here she was a ghostly image on your camera staring at you with those loving green eyes.

That moment of fear passes and it dawns on you like a brick being thrown at a window, the sudden realization that Rika is not looking at you.

You take a few steps away from where Rika was standing. The connection you had to Rika at that moment needed to be broken. You put away the DSLR camera and opt for your cell. Any semblance of composure is gone now as you search your bag for the phone.

When you do find it, your hands fumble with the unlock button. As the camera app opens up, you see them on the screen just as you had guessed. V, holding his camera up, taking photos of a now posing Rika, her soft and light laugh echoing out of the cell phone. Your fingers flip through the options. Pictures were great but they were also V's speciality and not your strength, so you click the record button and watch the scene play out.

"Beautiful."

V has lowered the camera down, looking at the screen. Rika walks closer to him and peaks at the photos that he had taken. Her face scrunches up in distaste and her eyes cloud over in disgust. You watch Rika bite on her lip while V scrolls through the images.

"You're like an angel of pure light."

His expression is dream-like as he remains fixated on the images instead of the muse who stands next to him. Her eyes darkening every photo that passes by. V. You walk closer to the pair and with each step the louder your heart seemed to be.

Look up! Look at her!

The angelic smile and doe-eyed expression, she had earlier is gone. You see it now bubbling and pushing through her mask; the darkness that she hides and the one that V is trying to blot out with light.

You think your frenzied screams must have reached them because you watch as Rika's glowering expression shift from the camera to straight at you. Your hands are sweating and you worry that at any moment she would lunge right at you like in the dream world. V looks up from his camera as well, and you watch him throw a hurried glance at Rika then towards you. His eyebrows are scrunched together and his eyes squint. He sees nothing. Rika sees nothing. You breathe out in relief, but the thrumming of your heart has not settled down.

V cups Rika's face in his hands, his touch gentle, as if he is holding something fragile and holy. In some ways she was fragile, ready to split from the confusion of light and dark. His eyes are dilated and entranced with this Rika that he reveres.

"Do you love me?" she whispers to him. You see it in her eyes the disbelief and just how her hands grip around his. It was just shy of breaking skin, but you see how desperate she is for him to love her.

"Of course, I love every part of you," he replies, tucking away a stray lock of beautiful golden hair behind Rika's ear.

"I'll save you from that darkness because you are my reason and muse."

No. No. This was wrong.

You scream again at V telling him to see her. You look at Rika and watch her dark eyes water in pain. Those were the wrong words for her because he was drowning her darkness trying to change her to what he wanted to see.

Rika perks up at your voice. You watch her stare longingly towards you.

Her hands snake up and cup his face. You zoom the phone camera on Rika's face and see that her eyes are asking. No, demanding something from him. Her once soft features look darker and you see the wild, desperate eyes instead.

"Would you love me even if I took away your most precious and important gift?" Rika's soft, airy voice has a sultry edge to it.

You watch as her thumbs outline the corner of his eyes. Your stomach turns and the blood in your veins feel as if they have frozen in place. You realize what she is thinking as her fingers wipe a stray eyelash away.

"Yes, even if you took everything away from me. It would always be you."

NO. NO. NO.

You scream and grab the closest rock on the ground and throw it. The rock never reaches them but the thud of the rock is enough to scare them apart.

Every curse word in your mind comes rolling off your tongue like a series of hexes.

The spell breaks and you see that the darkness has hid itself away again. The Saviour had retreated back into the corner of her mind. Rika blinks for several moments, having finally awakened from her trance. The peaceful expression from earlier has returned.

"V, where's your favourite place to go?"

"Besides being with you?" his tone is playful as he takes hold of her hand and gives it a small kiss. Rika slaps his arm and urges him for another answer.

"My art gallery close by because those contain my favourite photos of you."

You watch Rika's face freeze up and you see how for a moment it flashes in her eyes. How she lets go of V's hand and wraps her arms around herself. She did not believe that she deserved to be loved.

Rika.

You find yourself saying aloud. This relationship was drowning her. You wanted to pull them apart because they were just pushing each other further and further into their own delusions.

The phone freezes and you watch in horror as the phone screen turns black. You try and power it back on but nothing. Shit. The batteries must have died. You scramble to find the external battery in your bag, but when you do manage to get the phone plugged in there is no sign of V or Rika anymore. They were gone like a fading memory.

No.

What was this overlap? It wasn't like anything you had experienced before. Was this an old memory? V and Rika were still together and V still had his eyesight. Something had allowed you to see an old memory.

You open up maps on your phone and find the closest art gallery and run there. There was a chance that you could finally meet V.

You run without stopping, but you feel it the overlap is passing with every moment wasted. The crisp October day shifts from bright sunny to heavy rain. Your clothes are soaked when you reach the gallery.

It's quiet when you enter, like being in a ghost town, but you assume that this emptiness was because of the weather.

You send a message to 2B explaining to her what happened and how you were looking for V now.

Something told you that he would be here somewhere. There was an overlap that would allow you to see him in person.

Walking around the gallery, you realize it was larger than it looked on the outside. After a moment, you feel the hair on the back of your neck rise. This was it; that feeling of passing through one place to another. You look around on instinct and wonder if something would lead you to him much like the other times. Nothing. This time you can only follow your instincts. You were getting good at understanding how this in-between world worked.

You round a corner, feeling pulled into this part of the gallery. You see him, like you knew you would, yet you freeze at the sight of him sitting in front of you. His mint hair looks bright and otherworldly, but his eyes… they were covered with bandages. Despite his damaged eyes, he was staring at a painting of Rika.

He was alive.

"I had a feeling I would meet you soon, after what everyone has told me. Don't just stand there, sit by me."

His voice is filled with humour and life. You wonder how he knows that you are standing there looking at him. Your footsteps are quiet even to your own ears, but you sit on the bench next to his wheelchair.

"Hello," you greet him.

His fingers twitch and you see how he gives a heartfelt smile.

"So it was you that day in the woods."

You nod but realize that he could not see and respond aloud, "Yes."

"You know I think you were the first one to see her darkness. She really wanted to meet the ghost in the forest. Her fascination with finding that voice grew with each day."

You stare at the painting of Rika. It was true to her likeness, but there was something wrong with her expression. It was too angelic, too bright. This was the idealized beauty V had seen in her.

"I wanted to save her and you, but..." you trail off. How could you save them both? There was no way because the story had already been played out.

"We both didn't want to be saved, we were both too stubborn with our ideals that…" And then it is V's turn to trail off. He raises his hand and touches his bandaged eyes.

"Jumin insisted I have the operation on my eyes while in the hospital for a gunshot wound."

Your eyes tear up and the sob you had been holding in is released.

"MC? Are you okay?"

"Thank you for being alive," you blurt out. You are happy that he was alive, despite it all, that this one tragedy was avoided.

"I'm happy that I can be with them for this Halloween party," he says.

You were so happy that you could sit beside V today. You wipe away the tears and smile that everyone could be together for Halloween. You look at the painting and smile. Everyone had been brought together because of her.

"This is a lovely painting," you finally say.

"This was my first attempt to paint before the operation. I wanted to try to capture her with my own hands... it's how I saw her… no…. it's how I wanted to see her. Faultless and perfect. My own muse sent to me from the heavens."

V's voice is distant and tears escape from the bandages.

"I didn't really see her and instead I ended up hurting everyone I cared about. But most of all… Saeran and Saeyoung."

You place your hand on his back and try to calm him down.

"Saeyoung and Saeran, they have big hearts. You're their family, so be the best one you can be. The RFA are also part of that family. Be open and honest with them because they don't want to see you suffer," you tell him.

You remember the funeral. The one in the world where V died. Their goodbyes echo in your ears.

Jaehee is the first. V was always consistent and reliable, he was my role model.

Followed by Jumin who's words are solemn and wise. He was a good friend, a good teacher, and a mirror of truth.

Zen is thankful and shocked at the turn of events. V was a warm and fair person who gave me a new family.

You remember Yoosung's honesty and bitterness fade away to sadness and regret. I honestly hated V... but now I forgive him.

Saeyoung could barely string together a sentence in despair. Don't be lonely there, don't try to save anyone there… just live a selfish life, V.

Jaehee cannot stop herself from speaking again. Good-bye, V…

But, it's Jumin's anger and resentment of being left alone by his best friend in the world that resonates.

I will never forgive you for leaving on your own.

You wake from your memory and see V sitting beside you on the wheelchair. He was living and breathing and you just want to cry all over again.

"I don't want to loose them and I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to them." He looks at you despite his eyes being covered and smiles.

You tsk because V has always tried to do so much for everyone. You don't want him to spend his life feeling guilty.

"They want you to be happy too,"

V is quiet and it seems like your words are really reaching him now.

"My bandages come off on Halloween. Just in time for the party and I want to see everyone clearly again, so I can draw and paint everyone in costume," he laughs. His voice more hopeful that earlier before.

"I'm glad," You can't stop smiling at his words.

V is turned towards your direction again and he is hopeful.

"Will you be able to make it?"

It has been awhile since someone asked you about it. Just as you're about to answer him, you hear footsteps closing in and see Jumin walk into the room.

"MC?!" his eyes widen and he stops in his tracks. You realize that it was Jumin who took V to this gallery today. Even with his busy schedule, he took the time to accompany V to places.

You feel the shift in the air. Time was running out. Your time here was getting shorter and you realized that in order to attend the party you needed to know where it was in order to attend. You jump up to your feet. How could you have not realized this earlier?!

"I need to know where the party is or I won't know where the overlap is!" You try to say it quickly, but it's too late, they couldn't hear you. You were going to slip back any moment now.

There was no time, so you do the only thing you could do to help them: You toss your cell to Jumin. It had all the information they needed to find you again. You had all this data on them, but they in turn had nothing on you. You needed them to find you this time.

You watch them disappear like a mirage and find yourself alone in the gallery.

[mokkorin]

For the @mysmehalloweek​ !!! I choose to combine the autumn & pumpkin prompt with my fav boi ☆彡

[ashleymeowtese-art]

🦇 @mysmehalloweek Childhood - Sweets 🦇

In my AU, you know the one where the twins have happy childhoods, the first time the boys went Trick or Treatin’ was a time of mixed emotions.

With Saeran being too scared to wear anything scarier than your average squash and Saeyoung, between all his indecision’s and excitement, opting for the scariest thing his little mind could think of, a Zombie/Vampire/Warewolf hybrid. 🧟‍♂️ 🧛🏻‍♂️ 🐺

You know they received all of the candy... 🎃

[lievaiya]

Childhood // Sweets

Day 2 of the Mystic Messenger Halloween week hosted by @mysmehalloweek

A small V goes on the candy hunt with his mom ♥

[mysmehalloweek]

Hello everyone!

We, the mods of Day 13 - A Mystic Messenger Halloween Fan Zine, are happy to officially announce Mysme Halloweek 2018!

As the name implies it’s a week to focus on the characters of Mystic Messenger and everyone’s favorite spooky, scary and fun holiday, Halloween!

Dates:

Thursday , October 25, 2018 - Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Prompts:

October 25, 2018: Autumn // Pumpkins

October 26, 2018:  Childhood // Sweets

October 27, 2018: Supernatural // Fantasy AUs

October 28, 2018: Free Day (choose your own prompt)

October 29, 2018: Horror stories // Haunted

October 30, 2018: Decorations // Halloween Party

October 31, 2018: Trick // Treat

The prompts serve only to give you some ideas so if none of them tickle your fancy, feel free disregard them and do your own thing!

Rules:

1) Please tag all entries using #mysmehalloweek2018 and include ‘@mysmehalloweek’ in the post so that we can find it! If we don’t reblog your entry, don’t hesitate to message us!

2) Entries containing the following triggering themes will not be accepted:

Rape (including dubcon)

Pedophilia

Choicest

excessive gore

Self-harm

Hateful language (ex: character bashing)

Highly controversial symbols and costumes

Glorification/encouragement of harmful and/or violent behavior. 

Any entries containing any of the listed themes will not be reblogged. If you have any question on whether a theme will be accepted or not, please feel free to shoot us an ask.

3) NSFW entries will be accepted, however, please make sure to conceal such content beneath a ‘read more’ and tag it appropriately. Any NSFW entries that are not concealed by a ‘read more’ will not be reblogged.

4) All MCs are welcome, this includes the five MCs as well as any custom MCs! 

Feel free to post any WIPs you may have for this event, but make sure to tag and @ if you would like them reblogged here!

Although this event is hosted by the mods of Day 13, any and all entries are separate from the zine.

If you have any other questions concerning the rules, don’t hesitate to ask!

We look forward to seeing all the fun and spooktacular things you guys come up with for this Halloween!

[witchtomez]

Mysme Halloweek - Labyrinthine Salvation

[Prompt: Horror Stories}

[Approx. word count: 740]

[A/N: This is forewarning that this fic mainly features Rika and lightly references the abuse she endured as a child. If that is enough to make you want to skip this entry, please feel free to do so as I am aware of how polarizing a character she is. Those of you who still choose to read, I am grateful. 

Special thanks to @jaeheekangisimportant for her assistance in pinning down this story so I could write it properly.]

Rika never felt fear with horror stories; only sadness.

For all her fair beauty and seemingly delicate nature, Rika was never one to shiver uncomfortably at a horror film or scary storytelling; the extent of her reaction would be a slight wrinkling of her brow or nose in distaste depending on the amount of ludicrous gore portrayed.  

That isn’t to say she didn’t like genre altogether; Rika was particularly drawn to tales of the occult that dealt with supernatural abilities such as telepathy, witch craft and demonic summoning. Something about having powers hidden from the naked eye and being able to summon something that would be undoubtedly loyal was actually rather comforting from her perspective.

While most people would immerse themselves into the position of the potential survivors and heroes, Rika would often mentally critique and criticize the methods of the villains and their determination to be antagonists.

Because she often thought about what it would be like to have such abilities; powers to avoid pain, escape loneliness…the gift of being able to simply exist and to be able to defend their survival. 

But with that came the dissatisfaction with the formula of the story: Why did the demons and monsters always have to be the villains for overly proud heroes to slaughter? Could there not be co-existence? Or would creatures of darkness only ever have the purpose of being destroyed in the light?

No one chooses to be possessed by a devil, yet the mere presence is enough to warrant an unending barrage to destroy and erase all evidence of existence. This truth had been beaten into her very early in life: to be chosen by evil is to invite constant misery and pain with no right to mercy.

But not once during any exorcism had she ever heard the reason why—why could there be no forgiveness or compassion for those who had no say in the matter? It was never as though she had asked to be born with sin, and seemingly no amount of repentance would ever suffice in this world.

Furthermore, why was her devil the evil one for telling her to live while everything else screamed for her to suffer and disappear?

Fear wasn’t the snarling beast, a howling ghost or creatures born of hellfire.

Fear was cold and empty rooms surrounded by loud fury; a silent dinner table with resentful glares to wither beneath. Pain was poorly hidden snickering and mocking laughter emanating from cruel eyes and sharp tongues; Agony was unyielding restraints and hard surfaces echoing with bellowed prayers and promises of abandonment by God should you refuse to cast out the only source of strength keeping you alive.

And Love?

Love was merely a complex trap to lure desperate fools into sacrificing their defenses for the empty promise of acceptance; insidious cruelty that pretended to offer a warm hearth to vulnerable souls—only to become an overwhelming blaze intent on consuming everything deemed unworthy and leaving nothing behind.

‘And yet…’ she thought to herself in the rare quiet moments, ‘maybe no one knows what love really is…’

The only experiences Rika had with love always came with conditions of sacrifice, submission and silence on her true feelings; failure to comply meant immediate withdrawal upon discovering her inherent sin. That couldn’t be love, no…

There is a period of time in her life where Rika remembers feeling a love where she never had to silence her tears or force a smile, but a sharp chill stabs at her heart to prevent further reminiscence.

She is sure she can define love—love that will strengthen and protect from cruelty and manipulation without threat of abandonment; Love that will accept darkness and sin, nurturing it into a shield and sword instead of demanding its death.

Rika never needed horror stories; she was already living and surviving them, forging a path that will allow her and others like her to thrive in spite of the world that would destroy them.

Her only fear was that she would still find no salvation at the end of her story; perhaps her dark strength would forbid any room for softness until she had saved everyone.

Rika’s horror story ended with love forever lost and forbidden to her—not because salvation was denied to her by the arrogance of mankind, but rather fate itself.

Because how does darkness remain strong if there is nothing to rage against?

[ @mysmehalloweek ]

[A/N: If you made it to the end, thank you. Here’s the song and lyrics I used to help me focus my thoughts for this entry. See if you can spot why I got freaked out when this MV popped up on my youtube feed!  (ಸ‿ಸ)  Warning though, while there is no nudity, the video is rather...provocative...to risk playing in a work environment.]

[ashleymeowtese-art]

🦇 @mysmehalloweek Autumn - Pumpkins 🦇

The RFA is hosting a pumpkin carving contest!

The winner of the most beautifully carved pumpkin wins a mystery price!✨

it’s a lifetime supply of Seven Star drinks. 🎃

[lievaiya]

Trick//Treat 

Day 7 of the Mystic Messenger Halloween week hosted by @mysmehalloweek

For this prompt I drew Jumin who wants some treats from Zen and also want to tease him a bit with Elizabeth the third.

[lievaiya]

Free to choose - Cosplay

Day 4 of the Mystic Messenger Halloween week hosted by @mysmehalloweek

As a prompt I choose cosplay because I wanted to draw Yoosung dressed up as his mage Lolol avatar for some time. Please excuse it looking so crappy. I didn’t had much time.

[lievaiya]

Autumn // Pumpkins 

Day 1 of the Mystic Messenger Halloween week hosted by @mysmehalloweek

Saeran and my Persona Levy are carving Pumpkins ♥

[shittylongcatposts]

I doodled something yesterday for day 3 of @mysmehalloweek (supernatural/fantasy au) but there wasn't enough time for drawing. Got the idea of Jumin as Lucifer Morningstar and Saeyoung as Dean with his cains mark from supernatural. May be i'll continue this...

[doriimaatoukonwrites]

Sweets

Summary: It was a fluke or so you tell yourself after running into Yoosung at the Pumpkin farm. So a little trip the Confectionary Store is in order after that last interdimensional incident. Just like magic, you pass through again but this time you come face to face with the piercing gaze of Hyun Ryu.

Prompt: Sweets Characters: Zen (Hyun Ryu)  Series: In-Between Part 2  FF.NET I AO3  ( For those who prefer reading it elsewhere)

Note: My second submission for @mysmehalloweek. This can be read as a stand-alone but it does continue from where Pumpkin left off! Shout out to @inkandiron for being an amazing Beta reader! and for always being excited to read my work <3 

________________________________________

Your bed is soft and the house is quiet. No one is home, so you curl up even tighter under the bed covers. The cell phone next to you is silent with no notifications from the game or from your friends.

Picking up the phone and unlocking it, your thumb hovers over the app for a moment before clicking on it. The screen turns black and remains that way, there was still no voice saying Cheritz. The game has been broken since the day that you went to the pumpkin farm.

Sitting up, you flip through your camera roll for the millionth time. The pictures were still there from that fateful day. Part of you wonders how time passes on that side and if it’s been months since Yoosung last saw you. Staring at the photos your rational side tries to explain the experience all over again.

The boy in the picture was just a really good cosplayer and was live role-playing. That was the most rational explanation that your mind could come up with.

Closing your eyes, you remember that sunny afternoon and how the hill was surrounded by pumpkins. Yoosung would point at tiny little pumpkins and call them baby pumpkins that still needed to grow up.

You take a hard look at the photo he took with you and notice how his eyes seemed to shimmer like an amethyst stone. It was so wide and expressive, you felt like you could always read his mind.

“Hey Mc, can I get your contact?”

You look out the window, it was another sunny October day, but your attention is back on the phone. You leave the camera roll and start scrolling through contacts, reading all the names of each person before stopping at his.

Yoosung. Your thumb clicks on his name and on the number.

The phone rings for a moment before you hear the voice of the automated message.

The number you have dialed does not exist.

You end the call and try again, but the message is always the same. Throwing off the covers, you decide it was time to start the day. You head to the washroom and begin getting ready.

An hour passes when you finish and return back to the charging phone on the nightstand. It was time to stop thinking about that one off incident. Your mind wanders to the confectionary store and whether the Halloween sweets were being displayed yet.

You scroll through Instagram and stare longingly at the cute skeleton cookies and poisoned candy apple. Well at least you knew what you wanted to do today, you message your friend, asking if she wanted to meet you there.

Sorry, I have a volunteer meeting today.

Well, it looks like it was a solo trip. You grab your satchel and coat from the closet and head to the door but just as you’re about to leave you spot your favourite baseball hat on the table. You glance outside and see that this sunny day was cloudless and blindingly bright. You reach for the cap and wear it. Now that you had everything, it was time to head out.

The travel time was pretty short, and you managed to listen to a few of your favourite songs as you finally arrived at the quaint looking confectionary store. It was an old Fire Hall transformed into a confectionary. Running to the glass case, you start taking photos of the newest Halloween desserts and send them to your friend to see.

Oooh, they look so good!

You tuck the phone away and spend an agonizing amount of time trying to decide which one to take home. You decide on the creepy cake and a few macarons, you wanted your family to try it out as well.

The cashier bags it up in a fire hydrant red paper bag while you pay. She thanks you and you finally head outside and marvel at the cobbled stone streets and how the old style lamps give the area a nice time travelers vibe to it. There was a gazebo close by that you could sit in and relax at, so you make your way there.

You cross the street when the road was clear and begin the trek to the Gazebo, it was in the middle of the park close by. So you pull your hat down to keep the sun from bothering your eyes and walk at a leisurely pace towards it. The park has a treeline past the Gazebo, and you are once again thinking about that incident.

A strong gust of wind blows past you, and your hat goes flying off. You were not going to lose your favourite hat! So you give chase to the blasted thing, the cap for a moment flashes into the image of the pumpkin and a moment of deja vu washes over you as you try grabbing it from this mischievous wind.

The hat is dancing and dodging, and you’re sure that the thing has got to be possessed, but it's your expensive baseball hat. So you continue to run after it on this safe and familiar pavement. You wanted to record this incident but knew that you would not be able to snatch it up and record at the same time since you were still holding the sweets bag.

Your possessed hat stops running away and lands at someone’s feet. You watch delicate alabaster fingers pick up the hat. Your eyes follow the hand up towards the face of this person, and you hear it again.

The drumming of your heart beating loudly in your ears. Snow white hair, ruby red eyes…

Your mouth feels dry and the blood circulation to your hands seem to have stopped because it feels ice cold and clammy.

You also mentally start to berate yourself for describing him like that because at this rate you were going to sound like Bella Swan fawning over beautiful people. The “stranger” looks at you and gives a blinding smile.

They head towards you holding the hat, your feet feels like vines have grown all around them. You couldn’t move and wait for him to reach you.

You swear that you are going insane again, that this was another fit of madness. Because this was Hyun Ryu aka Zen from the RFA. His white ponytail swishes in the wind as he makes his way to you in dramatic fashion.

“Hi, there!” he greets. His eyes, unlike Yoosung, are dull and you notice how his expression is practiced. But your voice is lost and he seems to be thrilled at this reaction, like a flower basking in the light.

“Ah, it seems my beauty has stunned another person.” He chuckles for a moment and grabs hold of your cold hands. His eyebrows furrow for a moment probably because of how cold your hands are, but he moves past this and gives you another movie star smile.

“Here, I think this is yours,” he places the hat in your hand and let's go.

Your voice is still missing because despite hearing in-game from him just how beautiful he was. It was another thing to see it in “real life”? Or maybe this could be the work of October Magic again.

Just as your about to speak to him, he bids you farewell and starts walking away. You needed to talk to him and ask about Yoosung and the rest of the RFA. It would give insight into how all this dimensional overlap was working.

Just as you open your mouth to call out to him. You hear the high pitched shrieks coming from a distance.

“ZENNY!”

Zenny? That was MC’s nickname for him on her route. Could this be her? No, there were too many voices. From a distance, you see a group of fans running down the pavement towards you and him.

His shoulders are tense as he looks around for a place to hide. This human reaction wakes you from your trance-like state, and your senses start to come back to you. You reach out for his hands and take hold of it. His hands, it doesn’t disappear and the illusion of Zen is still intact. Real or not you had to do something.

His attention turns back to you, and his eyes are wide and is that a faint blush? You decide not to think about it but instead hand him back the hat.

“Put it on,” you command, and he does so without hesitation. You nod and begin the desperate sprint towards the treeline. The sound of autumn leave crunch under your boots but you drag him deep in the wooded area to lose the fangirls.

They’re hot on your trail, the distant sounds of camera clicking from the fangirls are heard. They were probably taking pictures of him as he ran away. You veer right and pull him towards the bigger trees. There’s a cavity in one of the trees, and you point towards it. Your raspy sounding voice orders him to hide in there. This must be a regular for him because he gets into the tree cavity without questioning it.

Just as you're about to make a run to another tree to hide, you are pulled by him into the tree as well. His muscular arms pull you close, you tuck your feet into the tree so the rabid fangirls wouldn’t spot you.

As you lean back into his chest, you hear your heart now hammering even louder than before. How is it possible you could feel every muscle beneath the sweater he was wearing. You're surrounded by his scent of natural musk and cigarettes.

There was something intoxicating being so close to him. This thought is broken by the distant shouts of the fangirls retreating back.

“Phew, that was close.” he is relieved, and his grip on you loosens. You decide that this enclosed space was not a good idea, so you crawl back out and wait for him to follow.

You wonder about how you’ve already grown comfortable with the idea of accepting this illusion. This time you were prepared and ready for something crazy like this.

You avoid looking at him because your face feels like it's on fire from being so close to him. The feeling of embarrassment is overshadowed by the sudden realization that those were fans. Zen loves fans, so why was he running away from them?

Just as he emerges from the tree, a look of recognition pass over him and his dull red eyes seem to lighten up a little.

“Wait a minute, you're that ghost girl Yoosung met!”

Whatever awe like state you had earlier from his beauty is now gone because you glare at him for that comment.

“I’m very much alive, thank you very much.” You pull out your phone and show him the selfie with Yoosung.

“See, that’s me alive in a photo with Yoosung. Ghosts can’t take photos like that.” You grumble at him, and he takes a look at your phone.

“Well MC, it's nice to meet you I’m Zen. Can I say you’re adorable in person.” he winks.

You feel the heat coming back to your cheeks, and you mutter a quick thanks. You decide that since it was safe enough to head back. You gesture for him to follow your lead back, he does so without complaining.

As you walk you ask him why he was running away from those fans.

“Well, I usually love taking the time to take pictures and answer questions. But that group, in particular, have tried to cut my hair on multiple occasion and have tried to give me baked goods with pieces of their hair in it.”

You stop suddenly and turn around to stare at him in disbelief.

“Yeah, I’m serious, and they have tried to break into my place once.” Zen runs his hands through his hair, and his expression is both upset and betrayed.

“I know they’re your fans, but they have to respect you as a person, not like a weird god.” You blurt out without thinking. Zen turns his full attention back to you, and you notice it again, his eyes are getting brighter than before. The surprised look on his face fades back to a relaxed smile, and he looks like he wants to say something but chooses not to.

You ask him about all the plays he’s been in and his speech is rapid that you almost have a hard time keeping up with him. He tells you about his work in live theatre and why he prefers it over movies and television.

“Every night is different and the whole energy of the room changes based on your performance,”

Zen is more lively and you notice that his answers aren’t like a practiced actor anymore, he reminds you of an enthusiastic kid. You tell him about your own acting experience from high school and how you enjoyed improv before.

“You should do a reading with me! Or an improv session,”

You shy away from the idea, it’s been awhile since you even acted and that was just for school. Plus he was a trained professional that people were losing their minds over in that world. He pleads for just a reading then. You know that the chances of ever seeing Zen after this is slim, just like how you knew that you may never even see Yoosung again.

“I guess, if we ever have the chance to.”

He looks at you with a small frown and reaches out to take hold of your hand claiming that he didn’t want to get lost from you. His hands are warm and alive, it feels like he’s the one checking if you’re real or not.

You look away, you notice the bag in your hand was crumpled and in bad shape. The sweets must have gotten smooshed from all that running and hiding! And you didn’t even notice because your adrenaline was pumping at the time.

Pulling your hand away and opening up the bag, you pray that maybe this is like the pumpkin incident and your precious sweets are safe but alas it was not. The cake looked like it had taken a great fall and you could only imagine how the macarons looked. Well, there goes that picture you were planning on taking later of it.

“Hey is everything okay,” he asks, you hand the bag to Zen and have him take a look at the desserts.

“I’m really sorry about this MC, this happened because you were helping me run away from those fangirls.” You shake your head at him and give a reassuring smile and continue staring at the treeline. Wait was the distance-

Your thoughts are interrupted by Zen, “How about you let me replace that for you, I know a nice cafe that I think you’d like.”

Did Zen just ask you out?! It was one thing dealing with it in the game in the form of texts but hearing it in person.

“Let’s just focus on getting out of the forest first.” Something is wrong, this feels like the last time in the forest, but that time it led you to Yoosung. This time you were lost in it with Zen, where did this magic want you to go.

Looking around frantically, you lose your cool for a moment and sprint in the opposite direction. You pull out your phone and test the reception again but like last time the call wouldn’t even go through.

“Hey aren’t we going the wrong way?” Zen catches up to you in no time and takes hold of your arm.

“It’s like before...” you look up at him and begin explaining what happened last time about the endless forest and how the only way to get out was to walk the opposite direction. You were scared he wouldn’t believe you about this magical forest nonsense and write you off as a crazy fan girl trying to spend time with him.

Instead, he places his hands on your shoulders and gives it a tight squeeze. “Hey, it’s okay. I believe you.” His words are sincere, and it feels like you can breathe again. He follows your lead and walks deeper into the woods.

It doesn't take long before the forest seems to end and open up into a meadow but is that a tea party in the middle of it?

“Is that a party in the middle?” Zen asks the same question you had been thinking.

“ I think we’re supposed to attend?”

In a very Alice in Wonderland style enthusiasm, you run towards the tea party and find no one there. Taking a seat, you help yourself to desserts and pour a cup of tea for Zen and yourself.

“Are you sure this is okay?” Zen takes a seat beside you.

“I think so,” shrugging your shoulders, you take a sip of the dark liquid. It could be poisoned for all you knew, but you were just so tired and hungry from walking so long in the cold.

The tea is warm, and the strong scent of bergamot hits your nostrils and you feel at home.

“Earl Grey,” you mutter then sigh, content with the drink. You pick up the fork and take a bite of the cheesecake.

“Zen, you have to try this!” You exclaim and watch him with less enthusiasm take a bite. He perks up and closes his eyes in bliss.

How in the world did Zen manage to both look innocent and seductive from just eating cake? You shake those thoughts away and return your attention back to the cake and tea. Pouring from the other pots and cutting tiny slices from the other cakes you begin to stuff yourself.

It feels like hours of just eating and drinking cake but you ask him all sorts of questions about his life and in turn he asks about yours. It felt nice to chat with someone who listened as intently as him.

His elbow is on the table as he rests his face on his hand. He listens to all your stories about your work and friends. The Zen you are talking to now is looking at you differently, like you were made of magic. His eyes are like a polished jewel, bright and shimmering with an emotion that you didn’t recognize. But he laughs at your jokes and even starts calling you Princess in the conversation.

“I don't really think I’m a damsel in distress,” You were unhappy with being called that.

“Well, then should I call you my saviour or better yet my Queen? Since you have a knack for being right and telling me what to do.”

You choke on your cup of tea, what the heck kind of response was that?! You decide to change the topic and ask him about the RFA.

Since you had already heard about the RFA from Yoosung it would be okay to bring it up again. You would just have to be careful with the information you knew, only vague questions about them that Yoosung revealed.

You know it would hurt him if he knew that you were that MC avatar that went missing and you couldn't imagine how painful it would be if he knew that you played everyone's route to learn all their stories.

You ask Zen about the pumpkin field incident and about Yoosung.

“It’s been a few days since it happened, but Yoosung is really shaken up about it. We thought you were a ghost of some sort, but he had a photo of you,” Zen’s fingers tap on the table in confusion at the recent incident.

“We had our friend 707 try and find more information about you, but nothing was coming up.”

You put the fork down and stare at the piece of cake, ashamed at the distress you caused them.

“Can you tell him, I’m sorry.” the words come out as a whisper and you feel your heartache like glass was piercing it and making it shatter.

“I wish I could have said goodbye,” frowning you look up and see how close Zen is leaning to you.

“It’s okay, I’ll explain everything to him and how this magic works.” He cups your face in his hand and brushes away a crumb on your lip. The practiced expression he had earlier is completely replaced now with an honest one.

“Thank you,” You say, afraid to say anything more.

He lets go, and you see the conflicted expression pass his features again. You remember your phone and decide to take photos of this party and Zen. This was something that you wanted to show your friend later when you got home.

Zen was a natural at being a model and had some fantastic candid shots. Even the goofy ones of him holding the teacup pinky up looked good.

“Your turn!” Zen chimes in and takes out his own phone and begins snapping photos of you. You’re confident that the pictures look terrible compared to his, but you try to be positive and pose anyways.

“Okay, time for a selfie. So I can send it on the messenger later!” Zen wraps his arms around your shoulders and pulls you close. The camera click from his phone goes off, you hand your phone to him and ask for a photo as well.

You’re sure that in both pictures you’re a tomato and Zen in all his beauty looks like a perfect sculpture.

“Thanks,” you pull away and help yourself to another cup of tea.

“Mc, can I get your contact information as well?” You look at Zen confused. He knew that your phone number didn’t work. He seems to be reading your mind when he replies back in an instant.

“You never know, maybe one day it’ll work.”

You chuckle and grab his phone. It’s older than Yoosung’s and loads a little slower, but you put in your information and hand him your phone as well. Zen has a little trouble figuring out your phone but manages to type in his information as well.

“How are the Halloween plans coming along?” You ask out of the blue.

Zen is just as excited as Yoosung about this party, he talks about what everyone is planning on wearing and how V had promised to attend this time.

He grumbles a bit about Jumin and the possibility of bringing the furball the party. Jumin was worried that Elizabeth would be scared being alone on Halloween. You chuckle as he begins sneezing at just mentioning Elizabeth, and you can’t stop the massive grin on your face when you hear about how 707 and Yoosung were planning on pranking each other.

“Poor Jaehee, she has so much to do… If only our party planner were still here…” Zen trails off, and you freeze at his words.

“Has there been any news about her?” You ask him. He looks at you surprised that you knew about it.

“Did he talk about her to you?” he avoids your eyes and looks away at the distance. His hand grips the teacup tightly and you worry it will shatter under the pressure. So it was because of MC avatar going missing that he carries himself in this sort of flirtatious but distant manner.

“A little, I’m sorry about your loss.” You wanted to tell him the truth about MC and that it was you but you held back.

“I know we’ll find her someday,” his tone is firm on the fact, and you have to look away from those piercing eyes. There was still no news on the avatar you played as during those 11 days.

“You know you kinda remind me…” he stops himself from finishing that sentence. He doesn’t want to compare you to the MC avatar party planner he knew.

“Well, for now, we’ll just have to continue throwing parties until she comes back,” he says instead.

“I wish I could go to this party, ” you whisper into the cup of tea. Zen’s large hand covers yours, and you meet his gaze.

“Me too,” his grip tightens and as you blink you see the tea party fading away. Your eyes brim with tears as you find yourself sitting alone at the Gazebo.

“Goodbye Zen,” you say to no one. Everything was back to normal again, the dream had abruptly ended just as quickly as you found him. You look up at the sky wondering why this was happening to you. It was during this melancholic thought that you realized that your hat was still missing. You stand up and look around for it but find no sign of it, that could only mean one thing. Zen still had your hat! You open your phone and scroll through your camera roll once more.

Your photos are there just like last time.

You open up your chat with your friend and send her a message.

It happened again.

You send her the photos of Zen and the one you took with him. Looking up at the sky you hope that you’ll have the chance to cross paths with the RFA again.

[doriimaatoukonwrites]

Supernatural

Summary: You weren't crazy, they were real and you had to find a way back to them.  After meeting with Yoosung and now Zen, it becomes clear that there was a chance you would meet the rest of them. It feels different today like you are being called by some sort of force. Who was calling you and why did this sort of magic feel different? 

Prompt: Supernatural
 Characters: Jumin Han, Jaehee Kang, Brief: Zen, Mentions: Yoosung
 Series: In-Between Part 3  FF.NET I AO3  ( For those who prefer reading it elsewhere)
 Word Count: 6.5k Note: Sorry my late third-day entry for @mysmehalloweek . This can be read as a stand-alone but it does continue from where Sweets left off! I also may have died writing this because it took a million years.



Thank you to my editor @inkandiron , you are the Halloween MVP. Thank you for encouraging me to finish this and editing it.  _________________________________

It’s colder today than usual, so you bundle up on the couch and try to enjoy this peculiar Halloween Baking show on Netflix. Glancing out the distant window, the skies are cloudy and grey. It looks about ready to storm and you wonder if the trip to the museum would be cancelled.

Picking up your phone, you send a message to your friend asking if she still wanted to go out today despite the bad weather. She doesn’t respond immediately but you don’t blame her since it’s only 9 am.

You haven’t been able to sleep properly since the farm and now, here you are, awake. At the beginning you thought it was all just a dream when you met Yoosung but the chance encounter with Zen proved that it was real.

Zen.

You bury your face in your hands when you remember him flirting with you and asking you out. But it’s the memory of him leaning closely to you and cupping your cheek that you feel the room is moving around.

Still, it irks you how easily you step in and out of this space and onto another. You spent the following days visiting farms and parks but still nothing. Flipping through your apps, you try the Mystic Messenger game again and it still remained broken. Did this have something to do with the strange dimensional overlap that you were experiencing?

Hour after hour have been spent on Reddit looking for answers or experiences but so far nothing.

You sink into the couch, your shoulders are tense from all the hours spent hunched over the laptop looking for clues and leads.

The phone beeps.

Yeah, be there by noon. Just getting ready now.

You had time to relax, so you close your eyes and you fall asleep.

You find yourself back at the tea party, the table is filled with desserts and teapots but there is no one else there. Taking a seat, you help yourself to food and drinks again. This was after all a dream, there was no real danger this time around.

It is the sound of leaves crunching and the heavy footsteps that make you pause and turn around. In the close distance you see a flash of white running towards you, could that be Zen?

“MC! MC!”

This was a dream right? You watch the small blur get closer and closer till finally the towering figure of Zen is beside you. He’s panting profusely and leans on his knees to help catch his breath.

You reach for your now cold cup of tea and offer it to him. He grabs it and takes large gulps, the cup is emptied. Zen is fully recovered and he’s looking at you with those piercing red eyes, it was unnerving how intently he looked.

“Are you real? Is this a dream?” he asks.

It strikes you odd how he is the one asking you this. Zen, the fictitious member of the RFA is the one who thinks you're not real.

“I fell asleep on the couch and I was sure that this was all a dream.”

He takes hold of your hand and sure enough, it feels solid. He’s real? This was real?

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Yoosung and I are starting to look like looneys visiting every farm and park we could find.”

You can’t stop the laugh from escaping from your lips because they had also been looking for you.

“Me too,”

As Zen takes a seat, you wonder if seeing him in your dreams has something to do with his dream premonition. Was the October magic amplifying his innate ability of dreams to allow him to astral project?

“Zen,” you start but can’t find the words to continue. You don’t know what to say or do, this could be the last time but somewhere in your heart you didn’t believe it. Instead, he asks you about your plans for the day to keep the conversation going.

You have this nagging feeling that you would have to go soon but you tell him about the museum exhibit. His lips twist into a frown and his eyes squint in confusion at your response.

“The Bram Stoker Vampire exhibit? That’s odd we have that exhibit happening here as well. Actually J--”

The blaring sound of your alarm clock jolts you awake. Your hands grab the device buried under the cushions and stop the infernal racket. Setting it back down, you pinch the bridge of your nose and sigh.

You wonder if that was really just a dream or if it was another form of interdimensional travel. Standing up and stretching, you head to the washroom and get ready. The events of the dream still replaying over and over.

When you finish getting ready you sit back on the couch and flip through the photos again. Looking at the ones of the pumpkin field with Yoosung and at the tea party with Zen. They were real and looking for you as well.

Your phone rings and you can only guess that your friend is outside waiting for you. You call out to your mom and tell her that you were leaving and pop out. You walk towards the black car and enter, your friend notices the frazzled expression on your face.

“Is everything okay?”

Shaking your head, you tell her about the dream about Zen and just how real it seemed. She frowns as well but you see the gears in her head turning. How she bites her lips and fiddles with her phone.

“This sounds like his dream powers from the game. You’re right it must be this month amplifying it but he said something interesting, J.”

You wait for her to continue her explanation but she starts the car first and begins driving. You knew that driving helped her think and figure out things faster so you waited for her to start speaking again.

Several minutes pass before she starts speaking again.

“If Zen is right then it seems that things there might be running parallel to here. This same exhibit is happening as well but he mentioned J, who we can assume is Jumin in this conversation.”

You lean back into the seat processing the information before you suddenly lean forward. Your heart beating quickly at understanding what she was implying.

“Jumin is going to be at the museum as well?! We’re going to meet him?” You can hardly believe what you’re saying but it was a fair assumption.

Your friend gives you a grin and you feel dizzy all over again from the possibility of seeing another one of the RFA members.

“Now, MC. Don’t go running off without me this time.” She chuckles and teases you about your name choice.

“You know that’s not my name!” you whine from your seat.

“Well, you could have just given any other video game character name or a gamertag.” your friend is still chuckling at your rational decision to call yourself Main character.

The conversation is filled with theories about how the encounter with Jumin would occur but the plan was you would not be like Alice after seeing a white rabbit if you did see them. Since in the past, you would lose cellular reception and had no way of going back.

When you finally arrive at the museum, you feel antsy to get to the exhibit. You look up at the skylight and notice how dark it is, for a moment you could not believe that it was only 2 PM. It was only a matter of time before the heavens start pouring down.

The museum was relatively empty and it was probably due to this impending storm. But this was all a perfect set-up for an encounter with one of the RFA. You and your friend make your way up a grand staircase and are forced to make a detour through a new piece called the hall of mirrors.

When you reach the hall, you inhale sharply at the set up. A long narrow hallway surrounded by mirrors up on mirrors scattered all over the walls. Each mirror having its own distinct frame from each other.

“Wow,” you breath out, amazed at the beautiful showcase and mirror setup. Your friend pulls out her phone and begins taking pictures of it. You follow her lead and decide to enjoy this moment. There was no sure way of knowing when you would run into Jumin and how it would occur. So you pose with your friend and take some silly photos together.

As you walk with her further down the hallway, you notice it from the corner of your eye. A figure walking from the far end of the hallway but it is only being reflected in the mirrors. You freeze and take hold of your friend stunned and unable to move.

She looks at you confused but you can only point a finger towards the mirror. It takes a moment before she starts to see it too. Your frozen muscles start to thaw when you realize who it is walking in the mirror.

“Is that--” your friend says.

“Jaehee Kang.” you interrupt her with your answer.

You hear her footsteps in the room but only see her reflection as she passes by.

“Jaehee,” your friend calls out. Jaehee stops for a moment as if she heard her name but continues on walking into the adjacent room. You and your friend follow her into the next room and you try and calm the rapid beating of your heart.

The room is filled with different manuscripts and possessions from Bram Stokers home and research but right in the middle is the newest piece being lent to the museum for the time being.

“The Book of Scholomance ” your friend whispers out. At the side of the room you can’t help but notice a large mirror set up in order to make the room look bigger and grander. There was no reflection of Jaehee this time.

Walking towards the large scroll that was unrolled, you read the little blurb about how it was pieced back together and restored. What was interesting about it was that it contained a variety of spells, formulas and histories.

You swear for a moment that you hear the soft mutterings of a man in the empty room but there is no one. Was Jumin in here?

The lights flicker as the sound of thunder crashes into the room. You find the room is dimmer and the mirror from earlier has a hooded figure standing in it. You want to scream but find yourself unable too.

The mirror looks watery and you see how the figure knocks on the mirror. Looking at your friend, you see that she is also looking in the same direction and a sense of relief comes back to you. If you weren’t the only one seeing this that meant it really was happening.

Taking deep breaths, you try and calm the hammering in your heart. Taking tiny steps, you make your way towards the mirror. When you reach it, you notice how the figure moves to push down their hood. Holding your breath, you expect a horrific monster of some sort but instead, you are greeted with the handsome face of Jumin Han.

You blink several moments as inquisitive onyx eyes stared back at you.

“Jumin Han,” the name spills from your lips and you see how those same eyes quint back at you.

“Who are you?” his question comes out more like a command. You turn towards your friend looking for help and see that she is making her way towards you now.

“I asked you a question, I command you to answer me.” his voice is low and deep. How he seemed to enunciate the words made you shiver.

The mirror seems to ripple for a moment and you realize that this could be a through the looking glass moment. Looking back at your friend you shout out to her.

“I think, I can go through,” you say aloud. Just as you turn to face your friend who was only a few steps away, you hear the voice of Jumin muttering something. It sounded like a spell but you feel it, your feet moving on their own towards the mirror.

You scream out to your friend, begging her to help. But it’s too late. Your hands reach out and pass through the water like surface and soon you pass through completely.

It feels like passing through water for a moment but as you blink your eyes to adjust but you see the frowning face of Jumin staring at you. The room looks exactly the same as before but you turn around and look into the mirror to see the horrified expression of your friend. You touch the mirror and find that it is solid.

“I’m stuck!” you call out to her and knock on the mirror desperate to reach her. Whipping around you face Jumin.

“What have you done?” you wait for a response and it’s only after a few moments that he answers.

“I anointed this mirror and few others in the other hall for a ritual.”

You turn away from him and look back at the mirror and his words slowly sink in.

“Try the mirrors in the hall! The ones that have ripples!” you call out to her. Your voice is high pitched from the panic of passing through. You watch your friend disappear from the room and into the hallway.

“This isn’t like before…” muttering to yourself, you wonder how this happened. It was true that you expected to run into Jumin here but this wasn’t anything like last time.

The look of displeasure on Jumin’s face dissolves and there is a spark of recognition in his eyes.

“You’re MC,” for a second you almost forget that’s the name you had given to both Yoosung and Zen.

Before you could respond, you hear the sound of two people running into the room. You walk past Jumin and head towards the entrance and sure enough you see both Jaehee and your friend sprint into the room.

You hurry towards them and hug your friend.

“Mr. Han! This girl came through the mirror!” Jaehee’s speech is quick as she hurries to Jumin’s side.

“So did that one,” his voice is even and you can’t tell if he’s displeased with this fact or not. Jaehee pauses for a moment and stares at you before she realizes as well who you were.

“Wait isn’t that-”

“Yes, that’s MC.” Jumin’s eyes stare at you but then shift to your friend in suspicion.

“But then who is that?” Jaehee frowns and you can tell she’s unhappy with this sudden encounter.

You step forward and make introductions.

“I’m MC and this is my friend…” you trail of for a moment and wonder how to introduce her. If she was here then that meant that she could have also been the MC avatar that did the routes. To be safe you had to give her a different name. The first thing that pops into your mind is the most recent game your friend was playing.

“This is my friend, 2B.” You sweat profusely and you see how your friend gives you a pointed stare.

Jaehee’s frown seems to get even deeper when she hears this.

“MC and 2B? What kind of names are those?” she pushes her glasses up from the bridge of her nose as she walks closer to you and “2B”.

“That’s our nickname,” you feel a tad bit annoyed at Jaehee’s distrustful behaviour. To be fair, Jaehee was always distrustful at the start of the game.

Jumin is quiet and it’s this silence that bothers you more than Jaehee’s obvious annoyance. You glance at 2B and she is returning his stare. You wonder if you missed something or if they were inner monologuing about the situation.

It’s only when Jaehee steps forward that this staring battle ends.

“You both need to go back where you came from.” she points at the mirror and stares back at us. Her gaze lands on me in particular as she continues her sermon.

“I know Yoosung and Zen trust you MC but I don’t. God knows, those two said too much about the RFA to you and with the fact that you seem to disappear in and out of existence.”

You step back and look away, your chest hurts from the accusation. You know that she’s just trying to protect the organization but her words wound you.

2B steps forward, her hands are in fists, “She didn’t choose for all this to happen. Or the fact that she just keeps running into these people at random times.”

Jaehee is about to argue back when Jumin interrupts the conversation.

“ They can’t go back at the moment, the mirror only works in one direction.” Jaehee goes still at those words.

Your eyebrows knit together in confusion. “Does this mean?”

“No, you’re not stuck here forever. There’s a limit of how long you can stay here until you fade back into your world.” Jumin sighs and you see how the corner of his lip twitches annoyed for some reason.

“Assistant Kang, I’ll be heading into the archives to do more research.” Jumin doesn’t bother to make eye contact with you or 2B as he leaves the room. When he’s gone, you notice how Jaehee’s shoulders seem to sag down, she pinches the bridge of her nose.

“This is going to be a long day,” she mutters to herself.

“Are you okay?” you ask, despite her disposition earlier you know that Jaehee just means well. She looks at you with wide eyes, surprised at your concern.

“I’m...fine. Thanks,” you nod and offer her a warm smile.

You walk a little ways away from Jaehee so you can speak with 2B for a moment. When both you and her are out of earshot she smiles and laughs at you.

“2B?” she smiles at your decision.

“Well, I didn’t want to say your player name or your real name. Besides, my name is MC it would sound weird if you had a normal name and I didn’t. Besides, you’re going to Cosplay her soon.” you whisper.

“Anyways, I’m going to find Jumin. I need to ask him a few things,” you explain to 2B about how unnatural this encounter was. How it felt like you were summoned this time around instead of magic just happening naturally.

“Okay, I’ll stay here and find out what the situation is on everything.”

Nodding your head,you start to make your way back to the entrance of the room. Jaehee looks like she’s about to protest you walking out on your own but you hear 2B calling her and starting a conversation.

Picking up the pace, you sprint down the hall of mirrors and find the map on the main floor again. The layout of things was slightly different from the one in your world but the building itself was exactly the same. You pass by the skylight and notice that it was also storming here. The sound of rainfall echoed in the room you were in. You ran your hand along the wall as you walk towards a set of large oak double doors.

You stop in front and listen to the footsteps that shuffle inside. You take a deep breath before pushing it open. The doors creak in a stereotypical manner that makes you cringe at how loud it was. You hear the sound of shuffling papers stop as you enter the archives. The sound of Jumin flipping through papers and books picks up once again after a few moments.

Glancing around the windowless room you notice how wooden shelves with tomes lined the walls. While certain sections had boxes labeled with names of each exhibit. You run your fingers across the books and feel a sense of peace wash over you. You walk through the room till finally, you find Jumin at a table surrounded by a pile of books, a box labeled “Scholomance research” was opened up on the table. Papers from that box were strewn all over the desk. You take a seat across from him and wait for him to acknowledge your presence.

Minutes pass by before you hear a sigh.

“Yes, MC?” He doesn’t look up from his work when he finally speaks.

“You were trying to summon something, I want to know what it was. Because I get the feeling it wasn’t supposed to be me.” You notice how his hands stop flipping the page. Jumin finally looks up and you have to stop yourself from shifting uncomfortably under his gaze.

“You’re assumptions are correct. I was indeed trying to summon something…”

Your mind is in a frenzy, Jumin had always been interested in magic in the game but to see him actually perform a ritual was a whole different story. Your eyes narrow when you see the document he was reading, the word School of Scholomance.

“Jumin… you should be careful with the magic involved with the school of Scholomance. You could summon something much worse than me,”

Despite his perfect and controlled reactions, you notice how his finger twitches slightly at your words.

“And what do you know about rituals?” he puts emphasis on “you” that you want to back down from the challenge.

“I know you’re wealthy and that for you to dabble in magic like this. It’s because you can’t use your money to reach it…” you pause and take in his features. His hands are steady now, he meets your gaze without a problem and yet you can feel something is wrong and off with him.

“You’re using the mirrors to try and find her aren't you?"

You tuck your hair behind your ear as you say this and you see his posture stiffen ever so slightly. You want to reach out and just grab hold of him but you keep your hands still and wait for his snide response of denial.

“I had used a dark spell that would allow me to see her and bring her back to us...” he pauses “But all the mirror showed was you.”

“I’m sorry,” You want to say more, to explain the game mechanics to him but how do you tell a person all their pain and life was a game? Created as a source of entertainment by the people of Cheritz.

You stare at the table and you realize just how large a gap MC the avatar has left in their lives. Your eyes brim with tears so you blink quickly in hopes of making it go away. Your head hangs low as your vision blurs and tears fall on the wooden table.

“Can you tell me about her?”

Only the sound of the ticking clock is heard in the room. You expect Jumin to ignore your request and just go back to searching for more spells.

“She was precious to us all. But she had a knack for seeing the tangled webs,”

Looking up you see that Jumin has a distant expression on his face. There was a softness to it that made you realize just how real your actions in the game were. It wasn’t just a game, it was real to them. You could see that he was wearing himself thin from researching ways to bring back the MC in the game.

When you take in his features in great detail you notice the tired bags under his eyes. His form looks skinnier than the in-game drawings. He wasn’t taking care of himself because he was a man on a mission to find the MC he met at the RFA party. You suddenly see how isolated and alone Jumin Han is from the RFA.

You want to see Jumin smile, a real smile just like Yoosung and Zen.

“Will you be bringing Elizabeth the III to the Halloween party?”

The effect is instantaneous and his smile is beautiful. He tells you about his plans on giving Elizabeth the III her own private room and entertainment while the party was happening. How he had also planned on having security watch over her in case she ran off.

“What are your thoughts on cats?”

You can’t help but smile as a sense of de ja vu settles. Just like before you tell him about how you love cats but have a dog at the moment.

He hmms at the thought but you ask him about any possible future projects and he tells you about his upcoming Halloween cat treat line that he was planning on launching to spread Halloween cheer. You nod and listen to his grand ideas of also having a pyramid built for Elizabeth in the future.

This is the Jumin you remembered in the game and you desperately wish that he could be this happy forever. You want to find the avatar MC, the one who went through those 11 days. Reaching across the table for one of the documents, you start looking over each page for an answer.

“What are you-”

You interrupt his question with a shhhh and point at the papers.

“I’m researching on how you can bring back your party planner,” Jumin looks at you wide-eyed and his jaw drops a little but he recovers gracefully and begins looking at the other papers on the desk. The room is silent for a while but you soon start asking him questions about the different rituals and forms of magic he has tried before.

It comes as a surprise to you at how knowledgeable he is on the occult. How carefully he researched each ritual and the results. It becomes increasingly obvious that Jumin may have a proficiency for the Scholomance dark magic.

“Jumin, you could be a dark mage,”

He turns to you and tilts his head to the side confused at your comment. The image of Elizabeth doing that pops into your head and you have to stop yourself from giggling at him.

“I mean, you know so much and I think you actually know what you’re doing.”

Jumin looks pleased at your remark as he flips through another page. “Of course I do, only an amateur would dabble with things they could not control.”

You take a few moments to take pictures of some of the notes and even some of Jumin pouring over the book. When you finish taking some photos you continue reading through the pages and it’s Jumin’s sudden movement that wake you from your reading trance.

“I think I’ve found it,” he pulls out a piece of paper and starts writing down the things he would need for this ritual to be successful.

You stand up and walk closer and take a look at the spell he found. Jumin is quick with his writing and hands it to you.

“Can you get this to Assistant Kang? I need to read more about this ritual but I’m positive this is the one I need to summon her,”

Jumin practically pushes you out of the archive room and soon you find yourself sprinting back to the exhibit from earlier. Your footsteps echoing in the empty museum, its when you reach the hallway of mirrors that you slow down a tad bit.

When you enter the room, you see 2B and Jaehee are chatting in a friendly manner. You’re relieved that the antagonist Jaehee from earlier has been replaced with this friendlier version.

“MC, you’re back.” 2B is the first to notice your presence and makes her way to meet you.

“Jumin, needs a few things to do the next ritual.” 2B perks up at the words ritual and you see the interest shining in her eyes.

“Go help him research the method, I’m sure he’ll need some help. I’m going to hand this list to Jaehee and maybe help her prepare,”

2B nods her head and starts making her way out.

You walk slowly to Jaehee who is sitting at a bench near the manuscript. She cradles a cup of what you can assume is coffee but she is guarded once more. Taking a seat next to her, you hand her the piece of paper that Jumin had written up.

Jaehee takes the paper while carefully avoiding physical contact with you. You watch her read the paper with one hand and sipping from the cup of coffee in the other. Her eyebrows are knit together and you see her mentally planning for the next ritual.

“This is going to take time to prepare,” she mutters mostly to herself and even appears to have forgotten that you are sitting next to her. A tired expression crosses over her features and you see how overworked and tired she is.

“Jaehee, are you okay?” you reach out to touch her shoulder but Jaehee backs away from your touch.

“This is my job, of course I’m okay,” her tone is clipped and you see the proud front that she is putting up with you.

Jaehee pulls out her phone and clicks her tongue in annoyance when she has no connection to the internet or any phone reception.

“I’m sorry, that’s because of me,” You point up at the storm and explain to her how each time you’ve met with one of the RFA there was never any connection.

“It’s because you and 2B are an anomaly that doesn’t belong here,” you can’t help but wince a little at her explanation but you could not deny it.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

You want to bring up coffee or zen’s plays to lighten the mood but you know that it would be weird for you to know about the things that she liked. Because Zen has not told you himself just how big of a fan Jaehee was. You knew this from playing the game.

If you couldn’t lighten the mood you knew that you had to at least bring up the missing party planner.

“Jumin, Zen and Yoosung, they really miss her,” you throw it out there desperate to hear her thoughts.

“Yes, and so do I,” her eyes are downcast and you decide to continue on.

“Jumin, he’s doing all these rituals to find her.”

“I want to find her too,” she admits and you can’t help but see just how desperately she wants to find the MC she knew. You see how tired her eyes are and how she constantly rubs a part of her shoulder. Jaehee must have spent hours hunched over a computer screen trying to help the research go faster. “Jaehee, please take care of yourself.”

She looks at you surprised at the kind sentiment. You take hold of her hand and find that she isn’t resisting your touch, you lead her out of the exhibit. There’s a water fountain nearby and you bring her to it.

“You should drink, it’ll help with your headache and fatigue. Sorry I don’t exactly have interdimensional pocket change.” She chuckles at your joke and takes a drink from the fountain.

“Thanks MC,” Her complexion is still too pale but you see how much brighter her eyes are compared to how zombie-like it looked earlier.

You sit with her for a moment as she catches her breath. “I’m worried about Mr. Han.” Jaehee is looking out at the distance towards the archives and your stomach starts to churn.

“Jumin is strong, I’m sure he’ll be able to weather anything.” You try and comfort her but her gaze is filled with worry and dread.

“Chairman Han has been pressuring Mr. Han to focus... But with our party planner going missing…Chairman Han just doesn't understand,” she trails off and you see the shadows under her eyes. How she worries for both Jumin and the missing MC avatar.

You want to run back to the archives and speak to Jumin because this was breaking you. Hearing about him being so scattered and unfocused on his work... it was just unnerving to know he was so distraught. Jumin excelled in business and always had the confidence of the board members and investors but this...

It was because of you.

“The investors are starting to question his decision and it doesn’t help we’re here instead of having lunch with them,” Jaehee sighs and finally meets your gaze.

“It will be okay. I know she’ll come back.” The words stick to your throat as you lie to Jaehee’s face. You were here already and watching everyone suffer, you close your eyes and wish that you could just find the MC avatar that attended the party.

Instead of walking straight back to the exhibit you detour through a hall filled with statues. You wanted Jaehee to relax and smile for a moment too.

“I think that one kind of looks like Zen,” You point at one of the statues since it reminded you of the April fools day DLC. Jaehee’s eyes are now intrigued at your comment, this was the look of a fangirl trying to gauge if a stranger was also the same.

“Oh? You think it looks like him?”

You nod your head and tell her about your first run in with him. Of course, you decide not to tell her just how closely he held you or how he touches your cheek affectionately. You were well aware of just how protective Jaehee could get when it came to protecting Zen’s career.

As you finish telling her the story and the dream, you notice how she frowns and even reaches for her phone on instinct.

“Thank you for helping Zen out, those fans are not recognized by his fan club,” Jaehee is upset but also relieved with your intervention. You notice how her cheeks are a fierce red and just how tightly she grips the fringes of her coat.

“Don’t worry about it. Zen in all his beauty is meant for everyone to admire,” The smile that Jaehee gives you is sincere and you feel warm when you finally receive it.

You both continue walking around the room and you take the time to ask her about Zen's past performances. She goes into great deal explaining all the plot points and her opinion on how Zen’s performance has improved during each show.

As you listen to her talk so expressively, you notice how her hands are waving in the air during some part of the explanations. You can’t help but smile and wish that you too could fangirl with her here.

You look away from her and find your own voice dying down in the conversation.

“MC, are you okay?” Jaehee is touching your arm, you see that somehow in this short time she has grown comfortable with you again.

You try to give her a smile but you feel the tears brimming again, “I’m okay, I just wish I could have gone to see these shows. I wish I could talk to you and everyone some more.”

Jaehee’s eyes start to water as well but she blinks them away and leads you back to the exhibit room without saying a word. There’s something on Jaehee’s mind and you want to ask but you see how determined she looks. When you both arrive at the exhibit room, Jaehee sprints to the bench she was at earlier and starts rummaging through her bag.

You wait for a few moments and see that she’s pulling out a dvd. She hands it to you and smiles.

“No one in this world should ever have to go without seeing one of Zen’s plays,” You look at her stunned.

“Are you sure? I mean, if you’re carrying it around it must mean a lot to you,” you try and hand it back to her but she pushes it back to you.

“Please MC, I want you to take it and watch it with 2B,” you’re grateful to her kindness and tuck away the dvd into your bag.

“Well, at least help me you set up for this ritual.”

You see Jaehee scramble to get all the candles and ingredients from her bag. You, on the other hand, start drawing the magic circle onto the ground just as Jumin had drawn on his notes. At times you would call Jaehee over to clarify just what Jumin had written and what shape he had scribbled. Jaehee was glad to walk over and help you with deciphering his sketch.

You take out your phone and take photos of the magic circle and of the note Jumin had written. You decide that you wanted to compare this room to the one in your world, so you take some photos to review later. You manage to snap a few of Jaehee working and laugh at her confused expression in the picture.

Just as Jaehee begin placing the candles in the circle, you see how determined she is to find MC avatar. You hope that this spell really works. Jaehee is walking around the room doing another check on the circle and double checking her own notes.

“You would make a great dark mage assistant,” you call out to her. Jaehee pauses in her inspection and gives you a confused look.

“You’re just very thorough, I can see why Jumin trusts you so much with this,”

“Thank you,” she says and just as she’s about to say more. Jumin and 2B enter the room, deep in discussion.

“So you think, Zen should have light sticks for his performances?”

You can’t help but burst out laughing, of course 2B would tell him that. 2B goes on to explain how pumped up a crowd would be holding a light stick during a performance.

“Hmmm, this sounds like a good business venture,” Jumin looks serious. 2B glances at you and her eyes are absolutely shining with triumph with convincing him to make light sticks.

“Jumin! Everything is all set-up," you and Jaehee make your way to the pair. Jumin looks like he’s also at ease speaking to 2B as well. You’re glad that both Jumin and Jaehee are able to open up a little about how they felt.

When you reach them, you see the room spin a little and grab hold of 2B.

“MC, are you okay?” You shake your head. You swear that bits of the room were fading away right now.

“This world is fading away and being replaced,” Jumin says. You look at the magic circle that you had painstakingly drawn onto the ground it was starting to dissolve away like sand.

“I hope you find her,” 2B calls out. You hold onto 2B tighter as you notice her begin to sway from the effects of the spell.

The room is almost completely black and all that remained were the slowly dissolving form of Jaehee and Jumin remaining.

“This spell has a 50% chance of working, should it fail I will perform it again on Halloween where it increases the chance to 90%.” You hear Jumin’s voice but you can barely see him anymore.

“MC, 2B. I just wanted to say I’m sorry and thank you for being kind,” Jaehee’s voice is far away but you see how she frantically tries to take hold of you and 2B.

Goodbye.

The last pieces of the room fade to black as you and 2B have been returned home.

[doriimaatoukonwrites]

Pumpkin

Summary: It all started that October day on the Pumpkin Farm when you try and open the Mystic Messenger app, nothing. While searching for the perfect Pumpkin it happens for the first time. You enter the overlap and meet Yoosung Kim. This once and lifetime opportunity feels overshadowed by the fact that he keeps looking up at the sky longing for the missing party planner. Prompt: Pumpkin Characters: Yoosung Kim Series: In-Between   Part 1 

Note: My submission for the @mysmehalloweek . This story can be read as a standalone but it will be part of a Halloween series that connects to one another :)  Thank you @inkandiron  for being an amazing Beta reader! 

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You smile at the laptop, it was October, and every person on Tumblr was greeting the month like an old friend.

Hello! I miss you! And welcome back!

There was something about the month that seemed to bring out the best in the community.

Closing down your laptop screen and glancing at the clock you notice that it was already 11:00 am. If you didn’t hurry, your trip to the pumpkin farm would be cancelled! You head to the washroom and get ready, picking out the cute sweater you bought the other day.

It’s noon by the time you finish and hear the beep of your phone. Rushing, you see a message pop up on the lock screen.

I’m here.

You glance out the window and see a black car sitting on the driveway. You wave at your friend from the window then rush out of the room with your satchel.

“I’m heading out now! Can you lock the door?” Your voice echoes in the house and the distant voice of your mother replies to take care and not to worry about the door.

Entering the car, you turn to your friend grinning at finally finding a day to go to the pumpkin farm. The drive is comfortable, and you can’t help but chat about the newest episode of the show you were both watching, theories flying left, right and center.

You glance at your phone and frown; there are no notifications and its been hours. You wake the phone from sleep mode and click on the Mystic Messenger app. The screen remains blank and there is no voice saying “Cheritz.”

Turning to your friend, you ask her if the app has been working for her today. She responds that she hasn’t been playing any routes recently, but she would try it once they reached the location. Looking out the car window, you marvel at how the countryside starts and the city ends. The trees were all orange, red and gold as far as you could see.

When you finally arrive at the farm, you hop out and start taking pictures of the place. The farmhouse and the red barn looked like something out of a postcard.

You notice your friend on her phone.

“You’re right, the game isn’t loading at all,” she says. You make a mental note to send Cheritz an email later when you get home.

You decide to forget about the broken game today—there was so much exploring to do, and of course, you wanted cute pictures with the pumpkin to post online later!

Walking behind the farmhouse and following the dirt path your eyes widen when you see the field covered with pumpkins. It looked like something right out of a Tim Burton movie, and you wonder if there was a hill close by that you could pose dramatically on.

You spend some time posing for pictures and taking selfies with your friend. When you finally start looking for a pumpkin, it becomes increasingly obvious how difficult it was to find the perfect one. It had to be a perfect circle with no blemishes. The stem would also have to protrude a specific way to create the perfect jack-o-lantern. You kept walking further and further out the field until you were near the treeline. Looking back you see your friend in the distance waving at you to come back.

Just as you were about to give up and head back, you see it from the corner of your eye. The perfect pumpkin! You gasp a little, and you call out to your friend and tell her to wait a moment. You walk close to the pumpkin and see it was the perfect size and shape. You move to the stem and position the cutters to it and make a quick snip.

Lifting the pumpkin and inspecting it once again, you can’t believe your luck. In the distance, you hear your name, and so you turn around, but step on debris that makes you lose your footing. As your knees go crashing to the ground, your grip on the pumpkin loosens, and you watch the orange ball roll into the forest—seemingly with a mind of its own...

Your jaw drops at this paranormal activity you just witnessed. Did your pumpkin get possessed and roll away?!

The Ghostbusters theme starts ringing in your bag and you know that it's your friend calling.

“Are you okay?!”

You tell your friend about the seemingly magical pumpkin and she tells you not to move an inch, but you see it now in the distance; your pumpkin just leaning against a tree.

“I think, I might have been seeing things, but I see my pumpkin now. I’m going to grab it quickly!”

You see your friend walking in your direction, so you decide to grab the pumpkin and run back.

Running into the forest, you sprint towards the pumpkin, but whatever October magic was happening you felt the distance grow longer and longer. You try and run back but find that the road will not allow you to return to the field. Fishing out your phone you try and call for help, but the phone call doesn’t even go through.

The air is colder and you start to wonder if you have been cursed. You immediately regret not listening to your friend and waiting for her. Testing out both directions you notice that the pumpkin near the tree seems to be getting closer while the field seems to remain at the same distance. If this were some fae playing a trick, you would have to play the same game until you figured out how to beat it...

Walking towards the tree, you finally reach it and feel the breath you’ve been holding in release. The pumpkin seems unharmed and still in perfect condition despite the tumble it took.

Picking it up you notice another field of pumpkins past the tree. Weighing your options, you know that whatever magic was taking hold of this area was not letting you go back. You walk at a snail’s pace to the field; it doesn’t look magical or any different from the other field. Well, there was this epic looking hill that did remind you of the Nightmare Before Christmas. You pull out your phone again and decide to take photos at the hill and show your friend later. Might as well collect evidence about this strange incident.

After a while, it becomes obvious to you there was no way back to where you came from, so you lay down on the side of the hill, wondering if you’ll ever be able to go home. Just as you look at the clouds, thinking about your fate, you hear a soft voice frantically trying to get your attention.

“Miss!? Excuse me! Are you okay?!” You push yourself up and feel your eyes bulge out of their sockets.

You swear for a moment that this blonde running towards you is Yoosung Kim from Mystic Messenger. He kneels next to you and asks if you’re alright.

Your hands are shaking and there doesn’t seem to be enough oxygen entering your lungs right now.

The blonde is frantic as he pulls out a sealed water bottle from his backpack. He opens it up and hands it to you. The water is cold and it calms your nerves for a moment. You blink repeatedly trying to get this vision of Yoosung to disappear.

Have you gone mad? Did you fall down the rabbit hole?

“Are you okay?” he tries again. You pause before finally answering him.

“Yes, thank you. Who are you?”

He says his name and you feel like maybe you are indeed going insane because you swear he just introduced himself as Yoosung Kim.

“Yoosung,” you test out saying his name. It’s odd saying the name of someone who doesn’t exist. Yet, here he is in the flesh looking at you with an expression you could only peg as a mixture of worry and relief.

“Where are we?”

Yoosung’s eyebrows furrow together. “Uhh, this is the C & R Pumpkin Farm,” he says.

C & R Pumpkin Farm?! This was Jumin’s farm?! You want to ask him a million questions about the RFA, but then the sudden thought comes to you. Mc, the character you played and lived through, was “she” here too...? You would have to be careful with your words.

Yoosung is frowning and you know that it looks suspicious for someone not to know where they are in what seems to be a limited pumpkin area.

You decide on telling him a half-truth, that you’re terrible with directions and that you may have gotten lost after running through the forest from the farm nearby. You omit the name of the farm, to avoid suspicion from him. If he were familiar with the area, he would know in a heartbeat if you said the wrong name of the neighbouring farm. You hoped that there was another pumpkin field here close by as well.

The explanation seems to work and Yoosung is smiling at you. You marvel at his soft features and just how shiny his hair looked. But, it was his eyes that startle you. In your reality, there was no such thing as natural violet eyes in the world.

You had ended up staring at him for too long it would seem because he flushed scarlet from the attention.

Yoosung finally stands up and extends his hand out to you. You stare at his outstretched hand for a moment and wonder if grabbing his hand will break the illusion. Reaching out and grabbing his hands he pulls you up.

He was real, this was real, and you can’t help but smile at this insanity.

“Are you out here picking pumpkins on your own?” you ask him. Yoosung has this sheepish expression on his face as he admits that he was on his own.

You wonder why the others weren’t with him. Better yet, why wasn’t MC helping him pick out pumpkins? Usually, in the game, your character would always want to help everyone. You frown at the idea of MC not being kind to the other RFA members.

There’s something sad about Yoosung; you take note of his sagged shoulders and how his hands are tucked into his pant pockets. His eyes look up at the sky, searching for something. Hopefully, this sadness was nothing Rika related.

“Well, since we’re both out here on our own, I’ll help you find a pumpkin then,” you announce and you see how his eyes light up. A smile breaks out on his lips.

“Are you sure? I mean, I’m sure you have somewhere to be.”

You shake your head no, for the moment you were stuck there.

You take in your surroundings once more and it seems like an endless field. Yoosung has begun his search for the perfect pumpkin. You laugh at how closely he leans to the pumpkins and even knocks on some of them.

“Hey! Yoosung, smile!” You call out and snap a few photos of his adorable face. This was the real-life Yoosung and you sure as hell weren’t going to waste the opportunity.

Yoosung pouts as you show him the silly photos you took of him earlier.

“No fair!…” Yoosung pauses and you notice a shift in his attitude. His face turns red once more as he murmurs something.

You frown and ask him to repeat what he just said.

“I said, I never actually asked what your name was,” Yoosung responds. Your heart freezes and you panic. You weigh your options carefully and decide to give another white lie.

Since in all otomes the name is usually the player name, you decide to call yourself what everyone calls the main character when discussing the game.

“Well, my friends call me MC” Yoosung looks at you funny.

“What kind of name is MC?” he blurts out but immediately covers his mouth with his hands.

“Sorry!” he quickly says after.

You laugh at his reaction and decide that his response just proved that you made the correct decision. If he didn’t recognize the name MC, then it meant that the body you used as the player had gone by a different name.

Maybe it was your name...

“It’s my nickname, actually. My name isn’t really MC.” Grinning at Yoosung, you notice how his eyes widen and how he nods his head in understanding.

“Ah, I see. So what is your real name, then?” he asks you.

At this point, you both have stopped looking for a pumpkin and are back at the hill sitting.

“That’s a secret. Maybe when we become better friends, I'll tell you.” You feel a sting in your heart for a moment. Would you be able to become better friends with him? You were both from different worlds…

“In that case, I think I will definitely find out!” Yoosung is smiling and there is something carefree about it. Whatever sadness he had when he stumbled upon you is now gone, at least for now. You’re relieved at this and hope that MC, the avatar spends time with him as well.

Yoosung pulls out his phone and you notice him fiddling with it.

“Hey MC, can I get your contact?” You nod your head and take the phone from his hands. You type in MC for your contact name and your phone number. Handing it back to Yoosung, you notice how he looks at the number confused.

It probably looks odd to him.

“I’m not from here,” you say and Yoosung looks up and gives an embarrassed smile. You hand him your phone asking for his contact as well. He types it in and you're tempted to try it then and there.

“Can I give it a try?” you ask him.

“There’s no reception on the farm for some reason,” replies Yoosung.

You curse in your head but know that this is probably for the best. You didn’t belong to this world. Also, what were the rates for interdimensional calling, anyway? You chuckle at your joke.

“So any big Halloween plans?” you ask and feel the drumming in your heart. You had to find out about everyone else.

Yoosung tells you about how he and his friends are going to throw a Halloween Party. He goes into detail about the fancy venue and activities they were going to have. His eyes are glowing, and his hands are flying up in the air when he describes the giant jack-o-lantern that they were going to have at the party.

He pauses for a moment and his voice trails off. Yoosung is deep in thought and you can practically see the gears turning in his head before he turns to you smiling.

“Hey, MC, would you be able to attend this party?”

You sit there stunned for a moment, and your heart is screaming YES. You wanted to see them all, the RFA you cherished so much. The RFA past the 11 days.

“I’d love to! But wouldn’t I need permission from your party planner?” You tested out.

“How did you…” Yoosung looks at you with his mouth hanging open.

“Well, it sounded like a fancy party and I figure you had someone in charge of all that.” It was a smooth half-lie again. Part of you felt terrible for misleading him but knew it was necessary.

“Um…” Yoosung trails off and you see his eyes go distant again.

Oh, no. What did MC do?

“We had a party planner a while ago, but she’s gone missing…”

Missing… How in the world?! Your avatar has gone missing after the 11 days? Your mind tries to make sense of all the information.

“I’m sorry,” you muster out in shock.

Yoosung avoids your eyes, but he explains how he had known their party planner only for 11 days and how she disappeared without a trace. You notice how Yoosung seems to be avoiding saying her name.

“I’m sure you’ll find her one day,” you reassure him while placing your hand on his arm. His eyes are brimming with tears and you feel your heart clench. You wanted to be there too, past the 11 days, but it just wasn’t possible in your world.

“Thanks, MC,” he whispers. You stand up and extend your hand to him, mimicking the scene that played out earlier when he first found you.

“Let’s find that pumpkin so you can carve it out and show it to your friends!” You smile at him and find him smiling back at you. He grabs hold of your hand as you pull him back on his feet.

You both continue looking through the pumpkin patch. Yoosung was telling you tales about his close group of friends and you too would tell him about some of your adventures. Eventually, Yoosung did find the perfect pumpkin. It was during the middle of his story that he stopped and found it.

“Congratulations!” you shout out. Yoosung raises his hand for a high five and you oblige.

“The pumpkin search is finally over! I’m just going to grab another one so I can bake something for Zen to try out later.” Yoosung is cutting the stem of another Pumpkin close by and you make him promise to record Zen trying out his baked pie later.

Yoosung decides that he wants to take a selfie with you since it was a team effort to find the pumpkin. It’s Yoosung who first takes a photo and you ask him to also take one with your camera. He snaps a few pictures and you can’t help but beam at the photos.

Just as you are looking at the pictures, Yoosung shifts from foot to foot.

“Hey MC, I meant it about the Halloween party. Don’t worry; I’ll talk to Jumin, but please tell me you’ll attend?” He looks at you waiting for an answer.

“Of course, just text me the details later.” You weren’t lying, but you weren’t sure that you would be able to see him again.

“MC, are you okay?” You notice his eyes are on your hands.

Your palms are in a tight fist. When did that happen?

You immediately stretch your hands out and try to play it off as nothing.

“Anyways, I better grab my pumpkin!” you announce to try and lighten the mood. Yoosung nods, and he walks with you back to the hill you left it at.

“There it is!” You point it out and hurry to the pumpkin to pick it up.

For a moment you hear Yoosung’s voice shouting “MC!” but its gone as quickly as it came. The whole field around you is replaced by the forest you were in earlier. How in the world?!

You call out to Yoosung but hear no response. What was going on? You then hear someone calling you by your real name instead of MC and it sounded a lot like your friend. Walking towards the voice, you expect for the trees never to open up to the field.

Unlike earlier, you end up walking to the field with that picturesque farmhouse and barn. You see your friend looking at you with worry.

“Where were you?! I was calling your name for a few minutes now and you weren’t responding! I was about to go in and drag you out myself.”

A few minutes?! You were sure you’d been gone at least a few hours.

You place the pumpkin on the ground and throw your arms around her.

“Hey, are you okay? You’re shaking.” You look up at her confused and begin telling her about your mysterious encounter.

“Yoosung from Mystic Messenger!? Are you sure?” she asks. You nod and pull out your phone to show her the photos you had taken.

Part of you worried that the pictures had gone missing like in those cliché movies, but there it was, still on your phone. All the photos of the hill, all the photos of Yoosung knocking on the pumpkin and finally, the selfie he had taken with you.

You were smiling up at the camera holding the pumpkin; while a grinning Yoosung was holding you close to keep you in the frame as he took the photo.

[doriimaatoukonwrites]

Amnesia

Summary: You feel the exhaustion from all of this madness and decide to just let go and forget for the moment. Instead, you wake up in a castle and realize the shadows they follow 707 and you were the only one who remembered how to get home.

Free Prompt: Amnesia Characters: 707 Series: In-Between Part 4  FF.NET I AO3  ( For those who prefer reading it elsewhere)

Note: Fourth submission for @mysmehalloweek . This can be read as a stand-alone but it does continue from where Supernatural left off.  Thank you @inkandiron for being the MVP Editor and Halloween Queen <3 

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You look at the calendar and wonder where October has gone? Half of the month had already breezed through. So many hours spent searching for clues about Scholomance magic. The dining room table was a mess; papers were scattered all over it. You had even gone so far as to stick up a map of the city and circle potential locations that Jumin could use.

While you were helping him research. You were able to see a variety of spells and rituals that he could use. While many of them were near useless for his cause. It gave you a general idea of what the conditions of the environment needed to be.

You pace in front of the map and glance down at your picture copy of his notes.

The more you thought about the summoning ritual and conditions. It became clear that it had most likely failed. While he had all the ingredients needed to perform it. The conditions were not in his favour.

“This spell has a 50% chance of working, should it fail I will perform it again on Halloween where it increases the chance to 90%.”

His words still ring in the air and you feel they almost cling to you like a sign or omen. Jumin had two chances to try to perform it again; without the conditions or wait until Halloween when it was almost guaranteed to work.

Your last trip there gave you a lot more than you realized at the time. That world and this one were parallel to one another so that meant two things were certain:

The weather conditions were the same

Being in the same location as where the RFA meant an overlap in dimensions

Sitting back down on the dining seat. You pick up your phone and scroll through the photos you had taken of the RFA.

Yoosung's excited smile over finding that pumpkin. Zen's sincere smile from relaxing at the tea party. Jumin’s concentrated face as he pours over a book. Jaehee’s confident and determined expression as she prepared the circle.

Your eyes shut in exhaustion and you lay your head on the table. The distant sound of your television is in the background, with a play-by-play of the World Series game.

“This cannot continue...” you remember your friend’s words, soft and quiet, “because you’re going to run out of time and chances to see them.”

You stand up from your seat and start tucking the pieces of paper into manila folders and your desk begins to look tidy again. When you finish cleaning up, the short bursts of pain in your head from earlier feels like a tightrope wrapped around your skull now.

They deserved to know the truth about their missing party planner and you wanted to give them back the MC avatar that they had grown to love.

There had to be a way to see them all again. The last thing you wanted was to tell the truth to one person and have them just tell the group. You wanted to look them each in the eye and reveal the truth. They deserved that much. But, you know that the only event that would have them all gathered together in one place would be the Halloween party that Jumin was hosting.

“Hey, MC, would you be able to attend this party?” Yoosung had asked you that sunny October afternoon. His eyes hopeful and pleading like a little puppy dog. You couldn’t say no at the time to this seemingly impossible wish, but the more you thought about his request and how much you wanted to go, the more you wanted it to be true.

You could no longer lie when you ran into Zen next.

“I wish I could go to this party, ” you had whispered into the cup of tea.

You remember how tightly he held onto your hand as he disappeared like a fading ghost.

By the time you retreat to your room, you are struck with the feeling of uncertainty. Part of you just wanted to call it a night and go to bed, but at the same time you feel a new surge of energy course through you.

You glance at your television and wonder if you ought to start a new show or maybe… next to your console is the DVD that Jaehee had given you. In your possession was the only copy of Zens performance in this world.

Walking to the television and picking up the DVD, your finger traces over the words written in front.

Cube World.

Cube World was the fabled performance that Jaehee could not find in Another Story. She must have somehow acquired an incredibly rare copy of it, and here she had given it to you as a token of friendship. You and 2B had rushed home to watch this one of a kind performance.

Despite the strong urge to watch it. You decide to do something non-RFA related. You needed to take your mind off these people and immerse yourself in another game. You crouch back down and grab your VR headset and boot up the console.

It was still Halloween and the month was about monsters and ghouls. At this very moment, you wanted to play something that aligned with that mood.

Scrolling through your virtual library for several minutes, you see one of the titles that checked all of your criteria. Clicking on the game you hear the loud ominous music. The title screen prompts you to start a new game.

You put the headset on and see a bright flame appear in front of you. The flame rests on a torch surrounded by darkness. It flickers on a castle wall beckoning you to enter and forget. The sound of the drums and strings sound even louder like a symphony has appeared behind you.

The game hasn’t even started and yet you feel your adrenaline increase. The throbbing headache from earlier is gone and replaced with this sense of excitement and dread. You click start a new game and watch the prologue come to life before your eyes.

The initial darkness you see lifts for a moment and you can make out another torch fade into view. It lasts for a second before you are plunged into darkness again. There is nothing around you in this void, except the voice of the protagonist that seems to echo everywhere and nowhere.

You had played this game on VR multiple times, but it feels different this time...

Don’t forget… somethings mustn’t be forgotten. The shadow hunting me… I must hurry.

It is his words, but not his voice. The soft British voice is replaced by an entirely different one and yet as you move in the darkness your vision fades to light. There is another dark corridor with a torch that appears. You feel yourself pulled further and further away from the torch, as if you are being forced to run from it.

My name is Saeyoung, I live in the bunker at… at.. the main city…

Your head feels like it is spinning while you run in the darkness. Were you hearing things correctly? Had you been thinking about the incidents involving the RFA so much, that it haunted you even in another game?

You hear the voice again and now you’re sure. Was Seven speaking to himself?

What have I done? This is crazy. Don’t forget, don’t forget. I must stop her. Focus!

You hear the desperation in his voice and how his words are choked. The air you breathe in burns your lungs, while the muscles in your legs protest from the strain of running so long. Before long there is a window and there is light behind it and your hands reach out on their own.

You scream so loud that your throat hurts from the force, but still you watch in horror as your arms reach for something unseen in the room. You feel your hand grip a phantom bottle but see none.

My name is… is… I am Saeyoung.

“Please help me,” you scream with your raspy voice. How long had you been screaming?

You no longer hear him speaking. Your hands are in pain from gripping this phantom bottle tight, but your arm raises to mimic the motion of bringing a bottle to your lips. You press your lips together and stop yourself from drinking.

Even with your lips sealed.

You feel yourself choke on the amnesia potion. You feel like you had overdosed on the liquid and now your vision blurs. The bottle in your hand slips and you hear it fall to the ground and shatter. Your body is heavy as you walk disoriented in the dark before you stumble over nothing and collapse to the ground. The stone floor is so cold on your cheeks that you swear this is real.

You want to curl up and stop the cold from spreading to every bone and muscle in your body, but nothing works. You seem to fall into a short slumber and it is the sound of rain pelting a window that causes you to come to your senses. Your cheek burns in pain and your eyelids finally flutter open.

The room is shifting from left to right and everything looks blurry, but you were able to make out the shape of red rose petals on the stone ground. Pushing yourself off the ground you touch the burning part of your cheek and wince. A small piece of glass was encrusted into it. You pull it out and whimper as the heat spread further around your cheek.

As you stand you feel your memories slip away, bit by bit, like chains coming undone. Your head bursts into pain, like hot needles going in and out repeatedly. Sinking to the floor in pain, you know that you are going to forget everything.

Who you are. The RFA. Your family. Your friend, 2B.

I’m sorry.

They all fade one by one from your mind.

“I want to remember!” your voice is distant and hoarse, but the one thing you can still recall was that this was a game. You were wearing a headset and this was all an illusion.

This is not real. This is a game. You try and focus on your head. The headset was on, but you had to focus past this illusion and take control.

You feel the headset enclosed around your head. Gripping it tightly, you yank it off. You hear the chains locking back together and your dizzy vision fades back to normal as you sink to the ground once more weak.

The memories you cherish stay firmly in your mind.

“This is a game… this is a game…” you whisper over and over. Your eyes shut. Pulling your knees close to your chest to calm down from the terror. When you do open your eyes it is the castle that still greets you.

Your eyes shift to the headset that you had thrown off earlier lying on the ground. Your satchel is with you? How had you not noticed this earlier? How is this possible?

Pushing yourself back up you tread slowly down the hallway. Even with your memories of the game you jump at the distant noises in the old castle.

Were the shadows chasing you as well?

You run through the shadowed corridors and stop in a few rooms to grab tinderboxes. That would come in handy later.

When you enter one room and walk to the desk where you remember where a letter was supposed to be. Your hands shake as you pick up the parchment and read it:

Saeyoung,

I wish I could ask you how much you remember. I don’t know if there will be anything left after I consume this drink. Don’t be afraid Saeyoung. I can’t tell you why, but I know this, I choose to forget. Try to find comfort and strength in that fact. There is purpose. You are my final effort to put things right. God willing, the name Rika, the Saviour, still invokes bitter anger in you. If not, this will sound horrible.

Go to the Inner Sanctum, find Rika and kill her. You are skilled. She will be no match for you.

One last thing. A shadow is following you. It’s a living nightmare – breaking down reality.

I have tried everything and there is no way to fight back. You need to escape it as long as you can.

Redeem us both Saeyoung. Descend into the darkness where Rika waits and finish this.

Your former self, Saeyoung

You drop the letter and it floats to the stone ground. Your stomach churns at the contents of the letter as you continue on. What was the meaning of all of this? You had to find him. From the corner of your eyes the darkness seemed to shift on its own.

Did you also have an invisible sanity meter here like in the game?

Your breathing becomes short and quick, when you turn and make out the faintest colour of red in the distance. Was that…?

If you didn’t catch him soon, he would be entering the basement with the lantern.

“Saeyoung,” you call out to his hurrying figure.

He stops and turns around. You could almost swear that the gold of his eyes seemed to reflect in the darkness, like a cats. He could easily pass off as a ghost or shadow here.

When you reach him. He holds up the lantern to your face.

“Who are you?”

“My name is MC.” You walk close to him and lower the lantern.

He jumps back at the action and you see that he looks ready to leave. You grab hold of his black hoodie to stop him from leaving you.

“Do you remember anything about your past?” You pray that he has some recollection of the truth but instead he shakes his head no.

“Only my name and that I need to find Rika,” you see the anger in his eyes and how tightly he grips the lantern. Even without his memories his anger towards her was still immense.

“Amnesia. Right,” you mutter.

Whatever this was, you and Saeyoung needed to get out of here. You needed to explain to him that this was all a video game. This wasn’t like all the other times; this was a place out of the boundaries of both your world and his.

You tell him quickly about the plot of the game and about his life with the RFA. While you tell him the details of this game and of his past, Saeyoung’s face grows pale, his features twist into pain and his body begins to sway and lean on the wall. You watch as his body crumples into a crouch and how he tucks his head between his legs.

You crouch down beside him. Had you told him too much?

“Are you okay!?”

“I… I couldn’t understand anything. The moment you started talking… It just felt like a hot iron poker was entering my eyes. The room is darker and I could barely see anything.”

Was the game stopping you from revealing the truth? You speak again slowly and watch as he shrieks in pain. Saeyoung covers his mouth to muffle his own scream. The moment you stop. The tight features loosen up proving that your theory was correct.

“I’m sorry, it’s because I tried to tell you something.”

You reach into your bag and pull out a vial that you hand him to drink. It would help ease the pain to continue the journey to the Inner Sanctum. He finishes the vial quickly and you notice how some of his colour has returned.

Saeyoung stands up now and picks up the lantern. There was no choice. You had to play along with these rules and finish the game.

The castle is fraught with dark corners and you could feel the watching eyes of the shadows everywhere. You were not safe and neither was Saeyoung. Walking close to him. You make a habit of holding the sleeve of his hoodie.

You direct him with your game knowledge of where to go and what to do, but you’re both silent for the most part.

As you and him go deeper and deeper into the castle you start to see the spark return to him. The shell of the man being filled to the brim with rage and regret.

It is deep in the bottom floors that he reads aloud another document strewn on the floor.

“It hurt. Everyday living was filled with pain, but it was only the smiling face of my brother, Saeran, that made me fight even harder.”

Saeyoung’s eyes are distant and you know that some of his memories are coming back. He hands the note to you and you tuck it away into the bag.

“I remember him now,” he murmurs, “How could I forget? Every single day we lived as prisoners just waiting for the day we would die.”

You know the story well, but it was different watching Saeyoung suddenly pick up a stray inkwell sitting on the table and hurl it at the wall. The sound of glass shattering fills the room and you see how quickly his chest rises up and down in rage.

“Tell me about him,” you ask, hoping to calm him down. He turns to you and you see his anger dissipate.

You watch as he tells you stories that were not even revealed in the game. He tells you about how Saeran and him would spend their days and about what books and make believe games they would play in their tiny house.

In this state, Saeyoung was unguarded and emotional. You know that it was only a matter of time before the rest of his memories would return and you would have to be prepared for him to push you away.

It is while walking through the prison block area that Saeyoung’s shaking hands take hold of yours. This was one of the darkest part of the game. His sanity meter was probably dropping with every second in here.

Even with your blurry vision, you knew that this darkness was not affecting you as badly as it was on Saeyoung. You lit a few torches along the way and rested at a few prison cells to keep him calm.

He starts joking about this being like a play that Zen could be in and that he was thankful Elizabeth the III was not here to suffer. He babbles on about what he remembers about the RFA, to distract himself from the monster that slips in and out of view.

“We would have parties. I’m not sure why? Actually, I’m not sure what RFA even means.”

You avoid his gaze. Piece by piece, it would come back to him.

Deeper and deeper you both went. The tunnels seemed endless.

It was during one instance while walking through the morgue area that you see it almost too clearly at first.

A monster, it’s eyes yellow, the face literally twisted up distorted like an alien. There are chains all over its body with blood trailing from its footsteps. You can see Saeyoung losing his sanity just by looking at this beast. He pulls you to run back to the previous area. He mutters and squeals for several minutes.

“NOPE. NOPE. NOOOOOOOOO! WHAT IS THAT EVEN?!”

“I don’t know! I think it’s a grunt or something.”

Saeyoung has closed the door in the previous area and he paces around.

“This is like my missions,” he mutters. Wait had he said mission? A memory must have come back to him while running away in fear.

“What are you talking about?”

“Nothing, just life as a magical girl.”

His reply is cagey and you notice that his joking demeanor was starting to peek through; the mask starting to form. 707 was resurfacing the closer you got to the Inner Sanctum. You know that he is remembering his life in the agency and the line of work that he was put into. All this sneaking around in the dark was probably the reason that memory was brought back to him.

“Are there any new memories about your brother?”

There is nothing, but the sound of footsteps for a while.

“V gave me the chance to start a new life and I took it. My brother is safe,” he states plainly.

“MC, could you just call me Seven or Luciel instead of Saeyoung? I don’t think I like my name very much. It sounds kind of lame doesn’t it?”

The pain from the past is slowly returning to him, you realize. If not for the rage and this mission, you know that he would lock himself up forever in the darkness to hide away,

“Yeah, sure thing Seven-Luciel,” you say his code name and his baptismal name with a smile. The lump in your throat gets harder to swallow.

It gets easier walking through the dark, but you still held onto his hand. His grip is strong and firm as you lead him through the corridors. Glancing at him for a moment you take note of his serious expression. The Saeyoung from earlier is gone now.

The Naive area.

It was the last area of the game before the Inner Sanctum. That meant Rika was close by, but before that you knew that the Choir and Transcept would lead Seven to his darkest memories. The part of him that he had buried away and did not want to see. That’s what this part was about.

You find notes similar to the ones you remembered from the game: directions from servants who had once worked here, who were followers of the Saviour as you had come to learn. The Saviour had spent hours pouring over some sort of concoction that would allow her to take control of others. Those monsters wandering through the building were the failed results of her experiment. She had used pain and a drug to break these people. They were loyal to her and they were “happier” now.

That’s what Rika’s powers had done.

Seven enters the Choir main hall. The room is filled with red smoke and the noise of shuffling feet could be heard. One of her followers were here patrolling the area. You lead him through the rooms with the missing orb pieces and laugh to yourself a little. You were like a living version of a walkthrough and cheat guide.

You took him into three different rooms to pick up the orb and for his memories to return. He almost collapses with every room, his face drained of colour and life.

“11 days and our missing party planner.”

“The Rika Fundraising Association.”

“Mint Eye.”

He mumbled out something every time a new memory came back. You try and get him to speak to you after the last room, but he stays quiet.

“Let’s go,” he says, taking your hand.

There was no way now to reach him. You would have to rely on your game information to assess what was going on with his mental state.

The Transcept is nowhere near as foreboding and scary and the Choir hall. But you know that this place would also contain more memories that he had locked away to forget. The room is filled with an unnatural light. There was no need to wander around or sneak past anything.

There were three doors that held torture chambers. Your feet do not want to move as Seven starts walking forward. He notices you remain unmoving.

“MC?”

“I have a bad feeling about those rooms.”

“Please, I need you to go with me,” his voice is soft, as his usual demeanor is replaced with the Saeyoung from the start of the game. His open and unguarded expression gaze at you for help.

You pull him towards the door to get the orb pieces and watch as he crumples to the floor screaming. His voice goes hoarse from screaming so loudly for several moments. You try and calm him down but your words have no effect. You bring him close and wrap your arms around him. His shoulders shake and shudder. Hot tears wet your shoulders as he leans on you for support.

“What have I done? Saeran he wasn’t safe. I betrayed and abandoned him.” His words are muffled through his tears but you can still make out a few words.

Rika. Mint Eye. Hacker.

You hold him close till he calms down. When he is recovered and ready to stand on his own. He removes his yellow glasses and wipes them clean with his sleeve.

“We have to keep going,” his voice is firm, but his eyes are still red from crying. You don’t want to argue with him and lead him to the next two doors. He does not collapse like last time, but you could see him get spirited away into a memory.

“Everyone was in danger because of me,” he whispers. “The headquarters… V…. I’m sorry.”

You hold his hands and wait for these visions to pass before you could speak to him again. All these memories that he was experiencing. Your heart is thrumming because you want to know about V as well. Was he okay? Did he survive?

“Seven what happened?” you prompt him.

“I didn’t trust V. I betrayed him and because of that he almost died,” Seven does not want to meet your eyes as he says this and you want to assure him that it was okay, but you see how low his shoulders sag. His head is downturned and ashamed from telling you the memory.

V didn’t die? Part of you is relieved that at least one tragedy in the RFA was avoided.

Grabbing hold of his hands you lead him out of the Transcept. With all the pieces of the orb and all of his memories and sins returned to Seven. You knew that it was time to face her. To face the Saviour, Rika.

The Inner Sanctum is guarded by shadows and golden static waves. Placing the pieces of the orb on a nearby altar, the door clicks open and the electric currents that secured it are gone. There was no going back now.

Both of you sprint through the door and skid to a stop, taking in a good look at the room that resembled a temple. You see two open entrances with torches flickering next to the doors.

His eyes dilate and you wait for the vision of his memory to end. He is silent this time. There are no pain or tears; instead there is understanding. When he wakes from his trance, he takes the knife on the altar and cuts a light scar on his palm.

Red liquid oozes from it and falls onto the altar. A wind gushes into the room and the lights are snuffed out.

He walks out the room through the other entrance on the opposite end. You chase after him in the other room and watch him once again repeat his actions again. There is more blood and another wind blows through the room. The flames are diminished and the sound of a rock sliding and shaking fill the room.

“Seven,” you walk to him and tug at his sleeves.

“Who are you?”

“I’m, M-”

“No, who are you really. I have all my memories back now. I know why I’m here and how I got here, but I have no memory of you.”

You back away from him and see how his hands are fisted in frustration. You want to tell him everything but you can’t. Not here. The game wouldn’t allow you to.

“I’m the anomaly. The ghost girl that Yoosung and Zen met. I’m the being that Jumin and Jaehee accidentally summoned.”

Your throat is dry and the painful gulps of air is almost too much for your throat. The slight metallic taste of blood fill your taste buds.

“I’m the girl they wanted you to track down.”

You hang your head and wait for him to pass judgement, or just say anything to you. Instead, he walks up to you and takes hold of your hand.

“Hey… I trust you even though none of this makes sense.”

The room which had looked darker earlier seemed to brighten up in your eyes. You breathe in relieved at his words.

“How did you get here?”

“Jumin was preparing for the next ritual and it involved some sort of dimensional potion. It looked like PhD Pepper in a glass and I accidentally…” he trails off and rubs his neck. You can’t help laughing at him. All of this because he wanted to drink PhD Pepper!

He pouts at your laughing face but continues on with his story.

“I wanted to play Amnesia so I started up the game… and here we are. Did the same thing happen to you?”

You nod your head and tell him how you had ripped the VR headset when you felt that the game was getting real. Seven nods at your explanation.

“So that's how you knew where to go... well we still have to finish this. We have to find Rika, but to get the good ending…” He trails off and you watch his eyebrows furrowed together for a moment. He jumps up and grabs hold of your shoulders.

“You need to enter the portal in the next room. Rika will be opening up the portal to another dimension, but the only way to stop it would be for you to enter instead.” You place your hands over his.

“Are you telling me that I’m the person that is supposed to pass through dimensions and save… Oh.”

The more you thought about it. The more it made sense… You remembered that in the game only someone “untainted” could pass through. Did… Seven think he was tainted? You’re saddened by the thought of it.

“Okay,” you accept, “I’ll pass through, but you have to stop her from reaching me. I have a feeling this is going to be different from the game.“

He nods and takes the lead once more. The wall from earlier had revealed a set of double-doors.

Entering it, you see Rika standing on a high platform, dressed in a priestly robe. A large portal was forming in the middle of the room.

“Saeyoung, I knew you would make it,” she says watching him intently.

He steps forward, making his way to Rika on the platform. You look up and see magenta-coloured electricity surrounding the ceiling.

“Rika, please stop this.”

“You’re the one who doesn’t understand. I’m trying to help others just like I helped you!” Rika's voice is shrill as she steps closer to Seven.

“Don’t you see? I want to make everyone happy! But in order to achieve that, I have to control them. I will stop at nothing to save them all. I will save them all and welcome them to eternal paradise.” Her voice is almost feral as the sound of the electricity crackles around the room. The light portal in the middle of the room slowly expanding.

You walk to the pair and try to reason with her.

“Rika, please, you need to stop. You’re hurting yourself and everyone around you. We can help you make peace with your light and dark side-”

At this, her attention shifts to you, and the glare she throws your way is enough to stop you dead in your tracks. You watch in horror as she lunges off the stage towards you.

“Is this my replacement!” she screeches and runs towards you, “You know nothing of my darkness!”

Stunned, you watch as Seven quickly lunges and takes hold of Rika. She thrashes against his grip, trying to get away from him. The portal has now opened up in the middle of the room.

“Go through now!” he yells.

Seven tightens his hold on Rika even more as she squirms, her eyes brimming with tears. Her expression is pained as she realizes what was about to occur.

“No, no, no! You don’t understand! I just want to save everyone,” she pleads.

You hurry to the portal and know that by entering it, you’ll pass through to your dimension and that Seven would be brought back to his own.

Turning around you face him for the last time in this game. “Seven, that’s not really her. She’s the result of your memories being used in place of the original characters. I just want you to know that. You're a good person Saeyoung Choi.”

“MC, I… I feel like I’ve seen you even before. Do I know you from before you met Yoosung?”

Just as you’re about to reply. The room starts shaking and pieces of the ceiling come falling down. There was not much time left. You had to pass through to save him.

“Goodbye.”

The blinding light is warm and comforting, compared to so much darkness from before. When it subsides, you see you are back in your room—safe. The game title screen is playing its ominous tone on your television screen and you lay on the floor clutching the bag of notes from the adventure.

This was not the end.