The darkness fades, showing a room. It appears to be a living room in an upper-middle-class home. There's a couch facing away from the windows towards a TV, and a staircase leading up to a second floor. There's a recliner close to the staircase, and then a hallway and a kitchen off to the side. There are two figures, one of which appearing completely dark and unnatural to everyone, while the other only appears dark to Harmonia and Drew. To everyone else, it appears blurry.
There's a space between the two figures. An emptiness. The air is still. This picture is not complete.
"Oh boy, I love silent hill!!!!" Eurydice has never played silent hill.
“This be fucking wacky yo.” Knight comments.
"Nice... place?" Luna says confused.
“Well, this is interesting,” Spider says.
Cole just starts reloading his shotgun while muttering. “No no no no no no no no and last of all no.”
"OK?" Chris wrinkles his eyebrows in confusion.
Kade takes a good look around. "Hm?"
“I don’t like this at all,” Knight says.
Harmonia looks away from the dark figures, ears flattened against her head fearfully.
Drew walks up to one of the figures and tries to figure out what they are.
Melody just looks confused. She nuzzles Kade as she looks around
They're completely featureless silhouettes.
Claire tilts her head at the scene. She walks up to the blurry (for most) figure and tries searching around them. She finds a pill bottle. The label is censored with a black bar. Claire quietly sits between the two figures. A conversation begins, but it's all... distorted. No one can make out what they're saying. Claire listens intently, pitching in occasionally with a "Yeah," or "Mhm."
Harmonia averts her eyes and tries to listen.
"Claire is clearly the protagonist here." Eurydice looks up to make sure Melody is ok.
“Huh.” Knight looks away from the figures “That’s true.”
Cole closes his eyes. “No thank you I like my vision intact."
“Wanna explain what's going on over there Claire?" Spider asks, flicking an ear.
Melody seems to be fine, just confused.
"I'm not sure," Claire admits.
"Erm..." Chris looks slightly uncomfortable. "Not sure what's going on here..."
Kade furrows his eyebrows at the sight but makes sure Melody is secure on his back as well.
“Well, what are they talking about?" Spider asks.
"I cannot understand a word they're saying. Guess hypersensitive hearing doesn't work everywhere." Luna grumbles.
"They're talking about someone's sister, an inflatable hammer. School." Claire says.
"Waiiit… why is that familiar?" Spider ponders.
“An inflatable hammer? Nice.” Knight comments.
"Goons, the both of them." Eurydice comments.
"I want an inflatable hammer!" Luna exclaims.
The blurry (to most) figure pops one of the pills. Claire, seemingly instinctively, takes two.
Her face appears different for a split second, pale with a slitmouth and dark eyes. It wouldn't be noticeable unless someone was paying attention at that exact moment.
Harmonia looks up at Claire. She had a good feeling she knew what this was.
Spider tilts their head. "This is familiar.."
"WAIT WAS THAT MY FAVORITE GHOST BOY??” Eurydice asks, watching Claire.
“What?” Knight asks.
Cole opens his eyes. “Ghost?"
Eurydice covers their mouth and hopes their yelling didn't disturb anything.
Melody just seems to be watching curiously.
"What," Luna says.
Claire looks at her hands and gets up as the blurry figure walks out the front door. "I don't know what's going on but it feels familiar."
Chris is just very confused.--
"You took two pills. These aren't your memories." Harmonia states.
"I have an idea of what this is but I don't feel good mentioning them right now in front of these people!" Eurydice exclaims.
Claire tilts her head, looking down at the pill bottle.
The scenery around them shifts again. The air feels different. More familiar to everyone. Mississippi winter air. It's someone's yard, a small suburban house. A blurry figure is kneeling, a dark object in front of them.
The dark figure looms behind the blurry figure. Another dark object, just like the blurry figure's, is laying on the ground in front of an empty space.
Claire is visibly shaken by the objects. Genuinely afraid. On the verge of tears, yet managing to stay stable.
Eurydice snaps silently at Harmonia as if trying to get her attention.
Harmonia looks at Eurydice.
They point at Knight, then tap their wrist, then make an eating motion, then point at Claire while tilting their head.
Luna is just watching Eurydice, confused.
Cole looks so fucking confused.
Harmonia looks so confused but goes to Claire, trying to hug and comfort her.
Knight is just looking away from the figures before he looks at Eurydice, becoming confused.
Chris is so confused. He tries to find Cole's hand and grabs it.
Eurydice sighs and crosses their arms. "Later, then."
Spider looks over at the figures, attempting to get closer to them.
Claire tries to move away from Harmonia, somewhat in a daze. The blurry figure seems really familiar to Spider, very safe and comforting.
Claire kneels in front of the dark object and picks it up. The darkness recedes from it. It's a white mask, just like Porcelain's. It has suns around the eyes and XIX on the forehead. The lower half is mostly blacked out, with scribbles at the top of the blacked-out portion to simulate a dark, 'creepy' mouth.
Claire affixes it to her face, clearly upset.
Harmonia follows her. "Claire?"
Cole squeezes Chris's hand gently while gripping his shotgun tightly in his other hand.
Chris squeezes Cole's hand tightly, clearly nervous.
“That’s a cool mask.” Knight quietly comments.
Spider reaches out attempting to touch the blurry figure's shoulder.
Luna notes everything going on, trying to understand but failing miserably.
"I think I get it," Drew says to himself. He doesn't get it.
Spider sees a lot of images, all of a very familiar yet blurry figure. Christmas parties, birthday parties, family get-togethers, walks on the beach with what seem like parental figures... but she can't place who it is.
Spider shakes their head, ears twitching as they take a step back. "This is weird.... whoever this is, they're familiar but I can't place who they are.”
The blurry figure picks up their mask. It's still pitch black to everyone.
Claire stands up.
Now they're in the woods at night. The blurry figure is on a wooden 'stage' with a cross behind them. There's a table behind them with lit candles. In front of them is a podium. They're wearing a cloak and seem to be preaching, but their words are incomprehensible.
Claire is wearing a hoodie now, bloodied and dirty. She's holding a gun. And crying.
“Uhhhhhhhh-” Knight says.
"What in the fuck is any of this???" Luna says scared out of her mind.
“Memories I'm guessing,” Spider says.
"I remember being told about something like this once," Drew says.
“Memories?” Knight asks.
"I think... I think I know what's happening...." Harmonia mutters.
Cole holds Chris's hand tighter and holds his shotgun tighter as his eyes softly glow purple.
"Dear..." Chris trembles, scared out of his wits.
“Deep breaths Chris, deep breaths,” Cole says.
>!! s8tXMJblCJI
The blurry figure points to a figure in the crowd in front of the stage. The figure is dark and is shoved towards Claire. The blurry figure steps down. Another dark figure, the one from earlier, begins whispering to Claire.
Claire breaks down sobbing.
"Of course, Miss."
She whispers a soft, "I'm sorry, Liam."
Claire pulls the trigger.
A black censor bar goes over the dark figure's head as they fall, the second dark figure laughing.
Harmonia clenches her fists. "Lucille."
“Lucille? What?” Knight asks.
"Claire was her executioner for the old cult..." Harmonia responds.
"I wonder.." Spider’s ears flatten against their skull as they attempt to climb up onto the stage and touch the laughing figure's arm.
Spider's vision goes completely dark, aside from two bright white eyes peering right at her. They can hear the rattling of chains.
Spider takes a deep breath and keeps contact as their ears spring back up twitching and swiveling with the sounds.
Jessica continues to stare at Spider.
"I'm gonna regret this aren't I?" Spider mutters and then looks directly into the eyes.
Jessica continues to stare, fidgeting slightly. Only her eyes are visible.
"So can you talk or am I just making myself look insane over here?" Spider asks.
“Can I shoot it yet?" Cole asks.
"I wouldn't mind stabbing it," Luna says.
"Dear, no." Says Chris.
"Don't mess with anything,” Harmonia says.
“Oh? What if I do?” Knight asks.
"Then you might hurt my fiance," Harmonia growls.
“Oh.” He says.
"Right. Good point. The last thing we need is more harm to Claire." Luna removes her hand from her sword's handle and relaxes.
The eyes move, appearing to stand as the chains rattle.
“And we have life, hi.”Spider continues to watch Jessica.
The dark figure moves away from Spider, ending the vision. Claire is sitting, leaning on a tree, holding the censored corpse near. Every other figure is gone. They're in a forest clearing.
"I'm sorry Claire..." Harmonia says quietly.
Spider shakes their head, muttering to themselves. "Weird.."
“This is concerning,” Knight says.
"Indeed Knight," Luna says.
“Morder.” Cole mutters.
“Morbius.” Knight whispers.
"Is Claire alright..." Chris asks.
"No, she isn't," Harmonia says.
“Doubt it, goof,” Cole says.
“So do we just let this play out?" Spider asks.
"What else do we do?" Harmonia asks.
“Makes sense,” Knight says.
"I guess? I mean what else do we do?" Luna asks
“Me when Luna is a skipping record player,” Cole says.
"Don't think we can do nothing," Chris says.
Kade remains quiet.
Spider looks like they want to say something but shakes their head, remaining quiet.
Claire shakes her head, trying to stand up.
Luna tries to help her up with a smile
As they do, the forest around them turns into a hospital. Claire's not wearing her glasses anymore and is wearing jeans and a t-shirt. She's not wearing shoes, just socks with little grippy things on the bottom. She doesn't seem to understand it.
Harmonia’s breathing picks up but sits near her.
A lady walks in. She looks like a doctor. Her face is only slightly blurred. "Good morning, Rosalie."
"Good morning, miss," Claire replies.
Cole looks around and just closes his eyes and grips Chris's hand tighter.
Harmonia looks confused but stays with Claire.
Luna just watches carefully.
Knight just stays silent.
Spider’s just watching all this unfold, head tilted slightly.
Chris grips Cole's hand harder as well.
The lady sits down at a counter, turning on a computer. She opens up some sort of spreadsheet or doc. "Now, Rosalie, have you seen the man again this past week?"
"No, miss."
"And do you still believe this man is real?"
"Miss, I... No, I don't."
"Good," The lady marks some things down, "And are you ready to tell your parents this?"
"They never believed he was real, miss."
Harmonia listens intently
Melody seems especially curious. "What is this place?"
Harmonia can overhear someone outside the room talking about another hospital in '97 with a patient similar to this one.
Harmonia notes it and brushes hair from Claire's face
The conversation with Claire continues.
"Now, I did some research in my spare time. This man in black, as you called him, his first known mention... ever... was in a contest on a website, where someone created him. I think that should be enough to tell you he isn't real."
"I know, miss, he isn't real." Claire doesn't respond to Harmonia.
Harmonia listens in, just focusing on it all.
"However... the year you were born, a case over at another hospital was closed that relates to yours."
"...What?"
"Over in Canada, there was a girl. In 1997. She showed up out of nowhere, no one knew who she was. She kept talking about a tall man with empty eyes. Just piqued my interest, I guess. Your tall man doesn't have a face, right?"
Claire stays silent. She's staring out the window. At a black bar.
"What are they talking about?" Melody asks. "Do they know the tall man too?"
Kade mutters softly to himself with that but is more focused on watching.
"I can understand, but what..." Chris mumbles.
“Da moon,” Cole mutters.
"Ohhhh..." Luna says.
“Damn,” Knight says.
Melody looks at the nurse. "Maam? Maam you know the tall man?"
The lady doesn't react to Melody. The room morphs into Claire's cottage. There's a calendar on the wall that reads 'September 27, 2021'. Everything feels... grainy. It looks like they're in a camera recording from maybe 2003. Weird for a cottage to just be in the middle of the woods of Mississippi. Claire feels empty upon looking at the scene. A bright message appears in the air.
YOU DID IT!
"Claire?" Harmonia asks, touching her arm gently.
“Well, that's odd.” Spider comments.
Cole opens his eyes. “Mmm grains.”
Claire holds Harmonia but feels nothing. Eyes begin appearing everywhere as Claire starts looking around for something.
Melody claps. "We made it!"
“Are we in some fucking, retro video game?” Knight asks.
Harmonia is disturbed as she tries to follow Claire's gaze.
“Ya'know this place really catches my eye.” Cole snickers.
Claire runs to the front door and tries to carve something into it with her nail.
It's the same symbol that was carved into Harmonia's door that one time.
"Claire do a sketch and I can carve it with my claws-" Harmonia says.
The basic print is already there, not exactly carved yet.
"Please-” Claire asks.
Harmonia carves it deeper with her claws.
Everything begins to appear like old PS1 models with grainy textures.
Claire puts her hand over the symbol and whispers something as the symbol glows white, and she turns the knob, opening the door and rushing through.
Harmonia follows.
Luna follows, noticing, and appreciating the low poly graphics.
Spider follows.
Chris tugs at Cole's hand. "We should go, dear."
Knight follows. “This is strangely familiar for some reason.”
Cole groans and follows.
Chris follows right after Cole.
Kade follows with Eurydice and Melody in tow.