(no subject)

[strangerpeople]

FINAL TRIAL

[When the doors open, the killed also find themselves allowed into the Room of Reckoning as well. And - similar to the living - they, too, have a table, with their own names and places and sitting pillows. They, too, receive the note on their phones with a ping.

The dead, however, have something else that the living do not have.

They can see that there is someone sitting on the gold pillow by the stairs.]

Comments

[byanyother_name]

I did like it, very much. It was a kind gesture, and a lovely drawing.

[She's very cute. He's not surprised, after the discovery that a piece of her Soul is animating Nyaf-ya.]

...This Game must be very hard on you.

[strangerpeople]

...it is.

[The smile lessens.]

I don’t like seeing needless suffering...not even for a good cause.

[byanyother_name]

Yes... The cause of defending our homeworlds, correct? I suspected this even before I died. We were told that the creatures shown in the motive I killed for were a pre-existing threat no one here was responsible for. Doubt was expressed that we would believe it, but I did take it under consideration as a potential truth.

Assuming both that and the consent contracts we found were legitimate, it became reasonable to consider that we might have agreed to this Game were such a threat brought to our attentions.

But it's a dangerous Game to play, isn't it? Death may not be the end, but what you here call Erasure is what my own home calls death of the soul, is it not? A final end. Oblivion.

[strangerpeople]

...yes...and no. A Soul can be restored, but it’s not usually done.

...

and not every universe can offer that, either.

[...oh wait that came out wrong—]

Wh...which isn’t to mean yours can’t!!

[byanyother_name]

[That is new to Kurama, it's not possible to his knowledge and the surprise shows for a second.]

I assume whether it can be done in a particular universe could only be determined by trying...

Why not do it, if it's possible, Kana-san? Surely with such a threat looming over us all, it would be better to keep as many who can fight as possible.

[cyclicalconcept]

Well...my understanding is that it's because someone has to know how to manipulate the code, or be on the proper planes to do that. If you don't have a Reaper's Game or something like that, there's no certainty that someone exists to know how to change the code to allow for it. And...some universes don't even work that way, and souls can't be manipulated that way.

But again, there's no way to know for certain without a Reaper's Game in place.

[byanyother_name]

So not only does it depend on having a Game in place, it's also a complex process? That's understandable. Souls are complex things.

Kana-san, if I may ask... How is it possible that you were able to split yours to help create Nyaf-ya?

[cyclicalconcept]

My existence...I'm capable of having pieces of me split off, when I need it to happen. Each piece being it's own soul, because once, many of those pieces were once living creatures.

It's the best way I can explain it.

[byanyother_name]

[Once living creatures? That... Kurama isn't quite sure he understands that and some of the possibilities lead to fairly horrifying places. He shakes his head a little.]

...Is there any way you can help me understand it better?

[He knows not what he asks but is probably at least better equipped to handle it than Helena?]

[cyclicalconcept]

[A deep breath.]

I can.

[And...well. There you go, Kurama.]

[katsufemmefatale]

I can't understand why some of us would consent to a job like this, though. I mean... I barely had the confidence to get through a skating season, even with Victor coaching me. Being responsible for the safety of our entire world? I don't know if I'd be a good choice.

[strangerpeople]

[She smiles again, as if remembering a fond memory.]

”Can someone like me really change things?”

You wouldn’t be the first to ask that, Katsuki-san!

[katsufemmefatale]

Kana, I'm a nervous wreck. I mean, I'm better now, but... you probably know what happened when I saw Archus-san's body. I fainted. Not exactly a good trait for someone who has to deal with death and worse all the time. And I don't know if I want to become numb to the point where I could actually do the job.

[strangerpeople]

I know...you’re a lot like someone I knew very well. But even then...You have a lot of potential to change the world, too.

[katsufemmefatale]

This someone you know... could they be a Composer, feeling the way I do? Could they really do this?

[strangerpeople]

[She nods.]

That’s right. You would be surprised, the power you have.

...

[She pauses, as if realizing, then turns red in embarrassment.]

I’m starting to sound like them....

[byanyother_name]

Truthfully, Katsuki-san, I'm not certain I would be happy to trust anyone who was completely certain they'd be a good choice with so much power. Certainty is a dangerous thing.

[He should know. His certainty that he would do anything to save his mother led him here.]

[katsufemmefatale]

I guess that makes sense, but too much doubt would make a person a liability. So how do you find someone with the right balance?

[byanyother_name]

Perhaps just like this. You said it yourself to Kana-san, didn't you? You're better now. Many of us have become stronger people through this experience.

I don't condone the cruelty of how this Game has been run. But knowing what is at stake, why they need us to become stronger so badly...

Well, I was once in a similar situation, with slightly lesser stakes, and I don't believe my students would have thought much more kindly of me if they hadn't known they agreed to it. And I didn't actually kill any of them.

[katsufemmefatale]

[Yuuri thinks long and hard on that, biting the inside of his lower lip delicately.

But finally, he nods.]

I can see your point. It's such an enormous responsibility, though... not something any of us would want to screw up.

[byanyother_name]

Of course not. But it may be a necessary responsibility unless we can somehow address the root problem.

[Kurama's expression is...not pleased, but thoughtful and accepting the possibility.]

[steelmagnolias]

As much as I'm inclined to say that I'm not the best choice to keep my world safe, either... he has a point.

[katsufemmefatale]

At least you have the desire to protect your world, right? That's as good a place to start as any.

[Yuuri knows he's a hypocrite for pointing that out and yet thinking he's not strong enough to do the same thing. But that's who he is.]

[eyesofdespair]

Another good place to start is a desire to make even one person happy, whether that be yourself or a loved one. Even something small can turn into something larger.

[katsufemmefatale]

Well, they said we signed up willingly. The only reason I can think of that I'd do something like that is to protect my family and friends. Thinking of protecting the whole world, at least for me, is too much. Maybe it's selfish to just think of my own loved ones, but it's where I'd have to start.