Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Boring, egregious, and mind-numbing.

These were adequate descriptions for Daryl’s calculus classroom. A small speck in the sea of 128 other students, his lack of concentration was hidden from prying eyes. Though, it could also be perceived that he was just good at blending in. Many other students shared his apathy towards this class. Some just didn’t like the subject, which was fair enough. Another percentage of the students just didn’t need that in their lives and simply needed it to satisfy the requirements for their degree. Thus, they deemed it unnecessary to allocate their effort and go beyond the professors expectations, satisfied with a solid passing grade. Then, there were the small percentage that actually enjoyed this class and were determined to go above and beyond. Daryl didn’t envy those people, content being in the first two classifications. Yet if there was a category all students would fit in, something every student had in common – it would be the shared understanding that the professor was terrible.

Terrible might be a bit of an understatement though. A better descriptor might be that the professor was borderline unqualified. They taught abhorrently at best, didn’t teach at all at worst. She would never respond to emails and never provide additional clarification on subject material when asked. Her exams were also extremely unfair, given how she grades exams on a scale of 80, as opposed to 100 like every other professor on this campus. Frankly, it didn’t make any sense. In fact, Daryl was convinced that if it wasn’t for her taking attendance near the end of the lecture, which would give extra credit at the end of the semester, nobody would actually show up. All he could do was wait for the catharsis that would be the end of year teacher evaluation. The scathing review he’d write up on ratemyprofessor the second he was done with the final exam would be nothing short of pure bliss. Until then, he was content just sleeping through the lecture. It wasn’t like he would be missing anything important.


At least, that's what he would typically do. Recently, however, he couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. It pricked at the back of his mind. The apprehension has been making it troublesome to fall asleep as of late. Both in and outside of class. Something has felt … off these past few weeks. Occasionally, he would catch a glimpse of something odd.

“ Trickster... ” Speak of the devil.

“JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!”

His desire to try and sleep was pierced by the sound of a chair screeching and hands slamming on to a desk with a resounding thud . Daryl shot up in his seat, his hands firmly flat on the desk as he eyed the source of his discomfort, or at least the main contributor to it. A chill crept up his spine as his emerald green eyes took in radiant blue wings, the creature seeming to have manifested in thin air right in front of him. Almost as if the air around it bent to its will, distorting briefly before returning to normalcy. For the past week he has been trying to identify what it was. Obviously it was a butterfly, but the species of butterfly eluded him. It resembled a Monarch, but its wingspan was too big. It could have been an Adonis Blue, but the pattern and coloration of the wings suggested otherwise. Additionally, it seemed to exhibit a lot of bioluminescence. It was literally glowing . There was no butterfly species, at least that he knew of, that looked like this. Initially, he was excited at the prospect of potentially discovering a new species. The potential to have authentic research under his belt and discover an entirely new species all before he even began his career as a researcher? Anyone would think it was too good to be true.

“Uh … Daryl, you good?”


Alas, it was. Brought back to reality, he registered that every single person present was staring at him. 

“Oh-uh.” He cleared his throat, embarrassed. “Yeah, I’m good, sorry. I just got some bad news.”

Ignoring the snickering coming from a few classmates next to him, his eyes fell back on the blue butterfly, or at least where it used to be. It had vanished as soon as he took his eyes off it…again. It always did that. Ever since he first saw it three weeks ago on his way to one of the dining halls, it would appear and then disappear without a trace. Always saying “ trickster” , or “ ruin” and nothing more. Other oddities reared their head as well. Figures with black silhouettes could be seen walking the campus. Yet it was only for the briefest of moments. One blink, and it was gone as soon as it came. At first, the biochem student brushed it off as seeing things. Between his part time job and 15 hour college workload, he had no shortage of stress and fatigue. 

When he saw it again the next day, he was with company. Company that gave him a confused look when he asked if they saw the butterfly. They unanimously denied seeing such a thing either that day or recently around campus. The third time it appeared before him, he could’ve sworn it spoke to him. The words couldn’t be deciphered, but he definitely heard a voice or something that resembled words trying to be spoken, yet he couldn’t interpret what it was saying. The spine chilling sensation he got that day was one he never felt before in his life. Following that incident, he began to take proper steps to ensure he got at least 8 hours of sleep and would pace himself to try and reduce his fatigue and stress levels. When the butterfly didn’t show up for a few days, and days turned into weeks, Daryl started believing it really was just him hallucinating. His friends would say it was God telling him to manage himself better, but something told him God had better things to do than worry about some young adult’s sleep schedule. Regardless, the problem seemed to have fixed itself. 

Until the third week of the month when it began to appear constantly. He would wake up to it, would get startled by it whenever it would just appear on top of a book he was reading. Sometimes when he would be concentrated on an in-class assignment, it would appear out of nowhere and cause him to audibly freak out. Fortunately it wasn’t often enough to the point where someone had referred him to the college counselor. However, with how many times he has been given concerned looks by both classmates and professors following some bullshit explanation to explain his outburst, he knew it probably was going to happen sooner rather than later.

The only reason he hasn’t payed a visit to a psychotherapist or a priest is his morbid curiosity. Of all things to hallucinate, why was he seeing a glowing blue butterfly? Why not hear his teacher asking him something, or hearing a flask shatter on the floor. Shouldn’t a hallucination have some relevance to some aspect of your life? 

_________________
He was in his dorm when it happened again. He was reading his textbook, the lamp providing sufficient lighting. However he was distracted, his lack of sleep had made it difficult for him to focus. Additionally, his mind couldn’t get over the dreams he had been having. They were always the same. A place bathed in blue and mist. It was small, yet felt relatively large at the same time. Daryl didn’t remember all of it, but the image of a purple chair stuck in his mind, along with a woman’s melancholy singing.

“ Trickster..”


“Oh for fucks sake..”

Looking up from his textbook, he saw the butterfly for the second time today. Behind it was the rest of his room. Normally, students would have a roommate living with them. He had been one of the lucky few to become an RA, so he had the entire room to himself. It was something the honors student was immensely thankful for, mainly because he had some privacy. That included his own private bathroom and shower, a luxury that he didn’t even realize was a luxury until his freshman year when he began sharing a communal bathroom. Apart from that, it was your standard dormitory. Just a big room with a bed, two desks, a closet, and a sink area. He did buy a carpet so that his feet wouldn’t be cold in the winter, along with a minifridge and microwave, but that was really about it. Oh and, he did have a window. It was opposite to the door and adjacent to his bed. It gave him a wonderful view of the back of the building, which consisted of a dumpster and a small parking lot. Daryl didn’t make an effort to indulge in said sight, but it did provide sunlight, so it was good enough.


The butterfly landed on his finger, looking at him. That was another thing that struck him as odd–he could feel it on his finger.

“ This is an unjust game, one that might be already won.”

Since when were hallucinations tactile?!

“Yet, if you perceive me, there might yet be hope.”

Or since when could they monologue like this? The air hummed around it as it spoke, the voice surrounding his being. The low-frequency vibration of its words flowed through his ribcage, sending a chill down his spine.

Closing the textbook, he stared at the butterfly that continued to look up at him. He could hear its words, but they didn’t make sense.


“Trickster…Ruin is coming. You must find the key to avert this fate.” The words echoed in his mind, strangely familiar, as if he’d heard them before, in passing conversations or snippets of dreams.


“Ruin? What?” He shook the butterfly off its hand, dismissing the saying. It looked almost … offended? As it flew above him, it circled him with such grace that he had a hard time believing he was hallucinating.  

“ The key lies in shadows, hidden within reach.”

“Honestly … maybe I should go see a counselor.” He made a mental note to schedule an appointment with one as soon as he could.

For now, his mind was just focused on getting through the night. Deciding to ignore the butterfly, he opened his book again to get back to reading. The butterfly kept circling him, but he just ignored it as the sounds of turning pages claimed dominion over the sound of flapping wings. It would go away eventually, but right now he really needed to study or else he wouldn’t be ready for his assignment at the end of the week.

“ Trickster—”

Any more words were tuned out as he continued to flip pages. Yet, as he found the page he was at, the butterfly reappeared in front of him. Daryl flinched, his grip on the book wavering for a brief moment before he steadied it in his hands. The butterfly stood its ground on the page, looking at him with its beady eyes. If bugs had emotions, Daryl would almost believe that it seemed…angry? Irritated? It almost felt like how a mother would look at their child whenever they would throw a tantrum. He was starting to get creeped out, feeling intimidated by its presence. Although the butterfly wasn’t real, part of him hoped it wouldn’t notice.

“For the love of God, you are a persistent hallucination..” He sighed, starting to close the book as a hand covered his eyes, his fingers rubbing his forehead in an attempt to dispel the incoming headache. “Y’know what? I’m just gonna take a nap—”

“ I am no illusion, Daryl Moore.”

His blood ran cold as the words registered in his head, his body going rigid as the rest of his sentence got caught in his throat. It’s never said his name before. His emerald green eyes gazed downwards, focusing on the now butterfly that is definitely not a butterfly. Its bioluminescent wings shone brightly, contrasting the light of the lamp and the darkness it kept at bay. His textbook fell to the ground, his shaky hands no longer able to find the strength to grasp it. Apprehension strengthened its unyielding grasp on him, yet in spite of that, his ever-growing curiosity managed to seize control of his thoughts. Could this really be..real? As if the butterfly heard his thoughts, it spoke again.


“I am no illusion.” The anomaly spoke, its words helping to temper the rising trepidation within himself. Eventually, the combined efforts of the anomaly and his curiosity granted him the courage to speak.

“You..are not a hallucination?” He asked, his eyes slowly narrowing in intrigue.

Despite his inquisitive nature, Daryl was a realist and scientist at the end of the day. For all he knew, someone could be pranking him. Projectors exist, and someone might have stolen his master key to access his room, but that wouldn’t make sense. He would’ve noticed a bulky projector in his room, and it would emit too much light to be concealed. Someone could’ve drugged his food,, but as far as he knew, he didn’t have any enemies. This could be a really advanced drone..but he didn’t hear any buzzing, and its movements were too fluid for a machine that small. It wouldn’t be able to mimic such motion. Thus, the only logical possibility remaining was this either was a really strong hallucination or, he really wasn’t imagining things.

“Then..what are you?” In the end, his curiosity goaded him on.


“I am the one sent to help you begin your journey.”


Well, that wasn’t cryptic at all..

“..Journey?”


“Yes. This game is unjust, and the chances of winning are almost none. The fact that you can hear me though means that there is a possibility.”

“Game..what?”

“But you must first open your eyes to the true face of reality.”  Daryl sighed, his question being completely dodged. Instead, another question took its place. 

“True face of reality?” The statement was irksome nearly as much as it was baffling. If he truly wasn’t hallucinating this moment, then the butterfly was implying that their entire reality is false. A farce. A lie . The implication left a bad taste in his mouth. His brain scrambled to default to some logical explanation that this was all just a bad dream. Alas, none came.

“What are you implying, butterfly?” It didn’t respond.

It flew off his bed, flying around his room as if it had nothing left to say. Signing, he closed his textbook and placed it on his nightstand before getting up. Yet before he could say anything, his Apple Watch dinged.

“Hm?”

Looking down on it, he saw an eyelid surrounded by velvet blue. It opened to reveal a red eye, the blue velvet being pierced by red streaks. Before he could look any further though, an ear-splitting pain erupted in his head, catching him completely off guard. 

A moment later, the ear-splitting pain was gone, allowing him to take in his surroundings. The room was dark, the light of the lamp vanished. When? Daryl didn’t know. Nor did he care at the moment. Looking around, the blue butterfly had vanished too. Though in its absence, a cold breeze swept through the room. It brought him back to reality as he looked at the window, confused. He didn’t remember opening it, nor did the weather forecast say anything about a cold front coming in this early in the fall.

“Well, they aren’t right half the time anyways.” He muttered, walking towards the window. 

Scratching the back of his head, he grabbed the curtain so he could pull it to the side and close the window. As he did, he noticed a faint red glow behind the fabric, a supernatural-like luminescence that he’d never encountered before.

Pulling it to the side, he was expecting to see the dumpster and lot that he always saw. If he was lucky, the garbage truck would be collecting tonight, which would make the area feel less dead than it already was. Alternatively, perhaps there were some teenagers using red floodlights for some horror film, which wasn’t that uncommon given this area was frequented by film students due to it being on the edge of campus. It was quiet, ideal for filming.

Never before had expectations been so quickly subverted. His eyes widened in horror at the spine peaking out of the ground in front of the dumpster that he had become so used to seeing. It erupted from the pavement and punctured the sheet metal that was its flesh, going upwards and through a window on the other side of the dormitory where Daryl’s vision could not follow. It was as wide as a road, spikes protruding from every side. Accompanied by it appeared to be fingers that had similarly erupted from the ground. It’s palm was halfway out of a road at an angle, as if it was waiting for an unsuspecting passersby to get too close so it could grab them and drag them into the deepest pits of hell. Thousands of bones littered the campus, poking in and through buildings as if they were entranced by the architecture of the campus and beyond. Further still, the windows screamed crimsoned red, the one next to him flashing in his peripheral every few seconds. Even his own was adorned with the hellish color.

Though what stuck out the most was the red rain pouring down from the skies. It aggressively shot down from the clouds above, landing into the pooling red pond that was the parking lot. Beyond, the water ran from the pond all the way down the alleyway leading to the main street.

His watch pinged, a red eye protruding on the screen, its beady gaze piercing his soul.


“ Welcome to Mementos.”

Chapter Text

Daryl walked down the hallway of the first floor of his dormitory, ignoring the perpetually blinking red backdrop coming from the window as small ripples were left in his wake. In his hand was a bat, a small wooden Louisville slugger that he had been gifted from one of the caretakers back when he was an avid baseball player at the orphanage. Part of him wondered why he held on to it, especially when he learned the truth behind his parents. Though in hindsight, it was a solid weapon, his only option against the entities that lurked around every corner. Despite all that had happened, him being coerced into keeping it by his caretaker was something he was now thankful for, albeit begrudgingly so.

It had been a few hours since he had been trapped in this place. In those few hours he had learned quite a lot. The blue butterfly was still not here, but he would hear its voice ever so often. With every turn he made, its voice would reach his ears. Sometimes he would see the air itself being warped, as if it parted ways to ensure the butterfly could speak clearly. Its words were the only thing tethering his sanity to the ground. Keeping him from going crazy as it guided him through this hell that was thrust upon him. Mementos was, for lack of a better word, a nightmare. It was quiet, one could even say peaceful. Though when you begin to see the bones coming from everywhere, even in the hallway as Daryl had already weaved through a jungle gym of spinal cords and rib cages, that peace is short lived.

With every step he took, the biochemistry student kept his head on a swivel, afraid of being spotted by those black entities which the butterfly referred to as shadows. He recognized them from a few weeks ago, when he would see them around campus. Yet that was for a brief moment, now he could see them in their entirety and they were horrifying . Amalgamations of faces glued together by a black mass in a bipedal form. He didn’t want to think about how they formed or what they meant. He was just thankful that the butterfly had taught him how to avoid them.

It had only happened an hour ago. When he finally regained his composure after he was shell-shocked by this world. He had closed the curtain immediately, running towards the lamp. Sweaty palms turned the knob, desperate for some light. His hopes were dashed when the all-too- familiar click of the lamp's mechanism was followed by the same oppressive darkness he was trying to get reprieve from. His heartbeat was skyrocketing, the pulse akin to a quasar star. He grabbed his chest as if he was trying to keep his heart in one piece, slinking down to the bed.

“Mementos..What the hell is a Mementos?!” Slowly, he brought his left arm up, the other one still battling his beating heart. The eye was still there, with some boxes below it. Perhaps it could be tinkered with, but right now, fear stilled his body, chaining it against the bed-frame. His fear was interrupted by the air distorting around him, carrying a familiar voice.

“Trickster, the power of rebellion is within. Awaken to your power to win this game.”

He blinked, the words of the butterfly giving him some comfort as he found the will to stand. He remembered looking around, but it wasn’t there. It didn’t respond when he called out for it. Nor did it speak when, eventually, he mustered enough courage to grab his bat and keys to walk out of his room, exploring down the hallway with distorted ripples echoing from his footsteps. It would only speak again when he encountered those “shadows”. The shadow was walking towards him, but instead of running back to his dorm the butterfly had instructed him to go in the corner. There, he was told to essentially imagine himself as invisible. Not wanting to argue, he did as told. Just like that, the shadow had passed by him as if he wasn’t even there.

From that point, he used the tactic whenever he could to avoid confrontation, as he wasn’t sure if a bat would work against these creatures. That said, it did have its limitations. He tried it in the open hallway and had to make a run for it when the shadow began chasing him. Fortunately a lounge room was nearby so he was able to get in there and hide behind a couch. It did follow him in, but didn’t see him at all. It was strange, but it was something he could experiment with another time. 

The ability that he could simply will himself to be invisible sparked a flash of recognition within him. It was a small memory, a conversation between himself and Melissa. She was bragging to him about her mother’s pioneering research into a new topic of science that had to do with cognition. Apparently she picked it up after the true pioneers disappeared a decade or two ago. The name eluded him, mostly because he found her insufferable and didn’t want to waste his attention.

Despite his efforts, her persistence made him absorb some tidbits from her soap opera. Something about cognition. A theory about everyone sharing a collective state of mind. How that collective state could be influenced by an individual with a strong desire. It all sounded like rubbish to him, but he made a mental note to research it later, curious if her words held merit. Now it was as if those theories came to life. His ability to cloak himself proved this world was tied to the human mind in some way or another. The question was – how?

Unfortunately, it would probably be something he’d have to discuss with Melissa, which he wasn’t looking forward to. She was nothing but a downright bully to him, taking every opportunity to tease him about anything and everything. He didn’t know why she was his favorite punching bag, she literally had everything. Like him, she was an honors student that had been given a full ride to the University of Phoenix. Like him, she took her academics very seriously, even though he would often get slightly higher scores than her. Perhaps she was jealous that he got chosen to work with Dr. Sean on his new research project as an assistant, but her nagging and teasing had started way before that. The last thing he wanted was to give her something to boast about and let her ridicule him. Then again, she was his only source of information on cognitive science.


As he contemplated his options, he arrived at the main lobby. Pushing open the door, he was greeted by a small lounge area, opposite to the reception desk that was adjacent to the door he went through. To his right were the elevators, and the left was the front door leading to the rest of the campus. There was another lounge area with a TV. To its right was a community kitchen, and in between the two was a hallway leading down to the recreation room and the restrooms beyond that.

Walking up to the windows in the lobby, he gazed out upon the outdoors. Giant bones and rib cages adorned the streets. Shadows littered the streets, almost like they were zombies. Despite that, the red rain had vanished, and the flooding seemed to be dissipating.

“I wonder if the weather here is the same as the real world.” He muttered to himself, letting the bat rest on his shoulder as he looked out.

There was a thunderstorm warning today, with a high chance of flooding. Since this was, supposedly, a world stemming from human cognition, it would make sense if the collective state of mind would recognize that it wasn’t raining anymore. That could change the weather..or perhaps anything that could be perceived by the human eye.

“God..I feel like I’m in a supernatural Walking Dead.” He looked at his watch. The eye remained open. Although he could probably leave if he wanted to, his inquisitive nature was against it. As scary as this world was, he felt drawn to it. He wanted to know why it existed, how human minds could collectively come together and create something like this. Something this grotesque, yet alluring. Could it change into something more cheery if everyone is collectively in a good mood? Does it always draw inspiration from the real world, or do the bones scattered around indicate that it could be distorted and could take the shape of anything the collective human mind desires? Could someone control the desires of another?

“If that were possible..then...”

 The power to control desires would essentially give him the power to make sure everything in his life went smoothly. Opposition? Rob them of their motivation. College crush? Could make her fawn over him in a second. And that was just the start. A grin formed on his face as he let his mind run wild. He could sell this power to others, make loads of money. He could take revenge on those who wronged him, rob them of their will to live. The idea was intriguing…..

“Nope, fuck that.”

Perhaps some people might find him foolish at this moment for not taking the opportunity. If his theories were true, then he could probably rise up in life with little effort. However, even if his theories were correct, he despised cheating in any sense of the word. It was a shortcut. A loophole. All too easily exploited in the broken system that was capitalism. As someone who was abandoned at birth and was raised in an orphanage, Daryl despised those that took the easy route. You must fight . Fight to get to the top, and fight to stay there.Even if you were born to a life of luxury, you shouldn’t allow yourself to take every freebie given to you.

Ironically, that perseverance and grit is something he could credit his father for, though he wouldn’t know that. His existence was unknown to him and his mother. Whether or not that would change is…debatable.

Growing up, his desire to find his biological parents fluctuated. Some days, he wanted nothing more than to know why his parents abandoned him. Other days, he couldn’t care less. Whenever he asked, he never got a straight answer. When he was going in and out of foster homes, the foster families would either not know or send him back under the misperception he was still attached to his biological parents and wouldn’t fit into their family. It was only when he had the courage to break into the directors office he was able to find some files containing the truth.

He was the byproduct of a scandalous affair between a CEO and her young intern. The CEO found his father attractive, and was looking for a good time. His father deflected her advances, having a girlfriend at the time. Over time she got increasingly desperate, and sexually assaulted his father in her office after hours. According to the staff member, the CEO used her public influence to pull some strings. The judge was bribed, and she successfully played the victim card. His father was in prison, while she continued her career unscathed. As for Daryl, well, apparently he was aborted. The mother couldn’t bear having a child that reminded her of a rapist. That's what she told the press anyway. Obviously, that wasn’t the case given he was alive and well. Though, apparently that was an accident as when she went to the abortion clinic, it was too late to abort him. She had no choice, so she decided to just give birth and drop him off at an orphanage.

It didn’t end there though. If the media caught wind that she had dumped him at an orphanage and lied to their faces, it would cause a lot of commotion. To ensure that didn’t happen, she bribed the director to scrub any trace of her from Daryl’s records. Highly illegal, but given how she was one of the main investors the director was all too happy to oblige. Something about making sure she would still donate. Even better, she had a connection in the Records of the Children’s Bureau to wipe any DNA profile shared between them. So even if he went and did a DNA test at the hospital, the results would be inconclusive.

The explanation left a terrible taste in his mouth when he first heard it. He also didn’t believe it, and went to get an autosomal DNA test. His father was a hit, but his mother was absent from the results. Following this revelation, Daryl decided to look further into the case.

He wasn’t a legal expert by any means, but after reading the courts documents, something seemed off. The woman was…far too smug from the transcripts he read. After some not so long deliberation, Daryl decided that there was nothing to gain from building a bridge with such a horrid woman. Besides, he didn’t want to be followed by the media either. Worthless parasites.

As for his father, he held a great deal of respect for him. Once he was released from prison, he learned that he had rebuilt his life in spite of his circumstances. He was now running a law firm in Dallas, and was a well-known defense attorney, dedicated to protecting victims of sexual assault.

After finding the number for his law firm, Daryl had considered reaching out. Though every time he hovered over the call button, he would never go through with it, fearing he would be cast out. Especially after learning that not only did he take after his mother, but his father had been happily married for 5 years, with a wife and two daughters. Who was he to barge into their life and meddle things? They were happy, and all he would be is a catalyst for bad memories to resurface. He doubted he would be accepted

Regardless, the point was that if his father could go through all that and live a happy life through his own efforts, who's to say Daryl couldn’t do the same? He would progress through this world by his own merit. Unfortunately, that included talking to Melissa to learn more about her mother’s research. Would it be enjoyable? Absolutely not. Is it something he was looking forward to? Absolutely not. Would he tolerate it for the sake of knowing more? He didn’t have a choice.

“Hm? Oh fuck!”

His concentration was broken by the sound of running, the sloshing of a shadow getting closer and closer toward him. It only took a brief glance before he quickly jolted backwards, narrowly avoiding it running into him. The shadow turned toward him, giving Daryl an up close and personal look of the ghastly masks adorning its body. It was horrifying, but he didn’t have time to worry about that, as he immediately began fleeing towards the hallway he came from. There was no way he was equipped to fight a shadow. Even if he was able to, he did not want to find out when he knew so little.

His hopes to escape were dashed when the door wouldn’t budge at all. Being so caught up in the mystery of this world, the college student completely forgot that the door had an electronic lock. It was a security feature that each dormitory had to prevent people that weren’t students from entering the living areas. Students with their IDs could swipe the reader and unlock the door. Daryl however, was so startled by the sudden transition to this place, he had completely forgotten to grab his ID when he left his room, only having his dorm key on him. The realization made panic sink itself in his bones, the heavy footsteps of the abomination getting closer with every passing second.

Turning around, he quickly brought his bat up to his face as the shadow charged at him. Daryl hissed in pain as he felt his back grind against the door’s metal frame, the bat establishing some distance between him and the abomination. It was short lived. The shadow, in a surprising show of strength, grabbed the bat and pulled . Daryl, completely taken off guard, felt weightless as he flew upwards and over the abominations head. The momentum tore the bat from his grip as he flew across the room and slammed in the wall upside down, his head hitting the floor as his body slumped to the side. Gasping for air, he felt lightheaded, a pounding force ringing through his ears. Every breath he took felt more shallow than the last, a telltale sign of something being broken. He figured he probably had a small concussion, and maybe a fractured rib or two.

“I..I gotta get out of this place, I don’t want to die here.” Forcing himself to stand, he looked up to see three figures, surprised. “Where..Where did the shadow go?”

To his left was a floating jack o lantern. It was adorned with a mage's hat and a cloak, with a gloved white hand holding a lantern that was swaying from side to side, mimicking its owner. To the right was a floating green horse, or half of one at least. Its lower half appeared to be made of seaweed, or vines. Its glowing red eyes stared at him with murderous intent, forcing the adrenaline through his body to suppress the pain he was feeling.

What made him the most concerned however, was the one in the middle. A medieval knight, clad in iron armor. With a spear in its hand, it sat upon a red horse with a long black mane. Although it didn’t seem to have as much murderous intent as the green horse, it looked as if it was ready to kill him in one blow. He noticed that the bat wasn’t in their possession, briefly wondering if they dropped it before closing in on him. Daryl slowly brought his arms up, getting into a boxing stance as he was now surrounded by the trio. The one in the middle pointed its spear towards him, but instead of attacking, it began to speak.

“You are encroaching upon our Master’s domain. State your name and business.”

Daryl blinked, his stance faltering for a moment. “What?”

“Don’t try and act innocent, we can see through your folly.” It inched his spear closer to him, the other two following suit. Daryl sighed, taking a small step back. 

"Look... uh, shadow?" Daryl's voice wavered slightly as he spoke, trying to mask his fear with a forced calm. The shadow's eyes narrowed at the term, but said nothing as Daryl pressed on, hoping to avoid a confrontation. "I literally just got here. I don't know where the hell I am, and I'm not trying to get close to your ‘Master’."

He slowly inched his hand towards the spear, the cold, unyielding metal sending a shiver up his spine as he made contact with the spearhead. "So, uh, let's put the spear down..." His voice was a mixture of desperation and determination, his fingers trembling slightly as he applied gentle pressure, hoping to defuse the situation. "I'm sure we can talk this out and we can all be on our way-"

The shadow's response was swift and brutal. In an instant, it lunged forward, the spear slicing through the air with a deadly precision. Daryl recoiled in shock, a sharp pain erupting in his hand as the spear's blade nicked his flesh. Warmth spread from the wound, blood trickling down his fingers as he hissed in pain.

Realizing he had to fight, he quickly raised his fists, ignoring the droplets of blood dripping from his hand. The shadow charged, its grotesque form looming over him. Instinctively, Daryl sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the spear that aimed for his chest. Seizing the moment, he grabbed the spear and pulled, hoping to disarm his attacker. The shadow, momentarily surprised, stumbled forward, its momentum carrying it into the wall, the spear embedding itself into the plaster.

Daryl's reprieve was brief. The Jack-o'-lantern creature to his left began chanting, its eerie, singsong voice sending chills down his spine. Flames danced around the creature, leaving its opponent confused, before it suddenly began to concentrate, forming into a-

"Fireball?!" Daryl barely had time to react, raising his arms in a futile attempt to shield himself as the creature shot it towards him point-blank. The flames licked at his skin, the heat searing through his clothes and scorching his flesh. Gritting his teeth in pain, he pushed forward, throwing a desperate punch at the pumpkin-headed creature. His knuckles collided with the Jack-o'-lantern, the impact reverberating through his bones. It did stagger the creature, but didn't do as much damage as Daryl hoped, instead laughing mockingly. It pissed him off.

“Ugh you stupid fucking-” Daryl's frustration mounted. He lunged again, only to be forced to veer right to avoid the spear-wielding shadow's deadly strike, his shirt slicing open. A few more inches and his life would have been forfeit. Balancing precariously on one foot, he barely saw the kelpie-like creature in time, bracing himself as a surge of wind blasted him off his feet. He helplessly collided with the Jack-o'-lantern again, both of them crashing to the ground in a tangled heap.

He barely had time to react before he felt weightless again, as his tailbone crashed into the ground. Groaning as his body was aching from the repeated impacts, he quickly scrambled to his feet. Looking down, Daryl expected to see the Jack-O-Lantern. Instead, his eyes met a puddle of red and black ooze, right as it disappeared into nothingness. Strange to be sure, but there was no time to dwell on it. As he looked towards the kelpie and the horseman, he was just grateful that it was now two versus one.

“How insolent.” The spearman seethed, both it and the kelpie charging towards him. “You will die for your transgressions.”

I don’t have time for this!

Daryl charged forward, meeting the spearman head on, winding up his fist in an attempt to bait the spearman into attacking. The spearman fell for the feint, and wound up its spear in an attempt to impale him. After getting close enough, Daryl dropped to the ground, using his momentum to slide himself under the horse. Clear of the horse’s legs, he sprung up and made a beeline for the front desk. Vaulting over it, the growing adrenaline in his body made him slam into the wall. His shoulder popped in agony, but the pain didn’t register as he frantically searched the desk for the switch that unlocks the front door.

His ignorance is what cost him. He felt a sudden pain in his chest as his blood turned to ice. The adrenaline within him began to run out, being replaced with the cold feeling of dread. Looking down, his eyes widened as the culprit became clear. Its silver point was tainted with a crimson liquid, the substance jogging down towards the silver shaft, both of which were poking out of his chest. Daryl screamed as he felt his insides wrap around the cold metal spear, a gust of air blasting him further onto the weapon, the feeling of his body being pushed inwards amplifying his agony. His breathing became erratic, his entire body convulsing towards the metallic intruder embedded within it. 

Fighting against his panic, he tried to identify exactly what was happening. Looking up, he saw the kelpie behind the counter, to his left was the horseman. Despite being literally impaled with a spear and having a dislocated shoulder, his confusion prodded through his sense of pain. He didn’t recall seeing a fourth foe. Yet as a purple hand slowly grabbed his jaw and jerked his face to the left, it quickly morphed in fear.

His eyes began trailing up the purple hand, seeing it transition into a white arm with a red streak down the middle, though it could be easily argued that it was a line of exposed flesh. Following the line, he took in locks of black hair resting atop a white shoulders, surrounding a purple neck with a wavy pattern. Below that neck was a salamander-esc body, the center of the figure's chest having a noticeable streak of gold going down its body. Directing his gaze upwards, he locked eyes with an eyeless, slenderman-like creature. It had no eyes, no nose, just a snarl to display its fury. Dread washed over him, his blood turning to ice. It was as if he was face to face with a malevolent god.

His analysis was cut short, the creature speaking in a low rumble. “You are not welcome in Master Hart's domain, intruder. As such, your penance is death.” 

_______________________________________________________________________

As Melissa read the scores for the latest organic chemistry exam, her eyes contained a barely restrained fury .

She had gotten second place, again. Who had beaten her to the punch?

Daryl. Fucking . Moore.

She had studied so damn hard to be on top this time. She had tutors. She had flashcards. She had direct instruction from the professor! She even did practice exams the night prior in the event that some might overlap!

Yet there was Daryl, with a perfect score. While she had missed two questions. How could this have happened again?!

It didn’t make sense, she put in so much more effort! Countless hours poured into preparing for this! How the hell did she not score on top?!

“Oh boy, she’s on a roll again.”

“Yep, best to leave her alone.”

“Honestly, you’d think she’d be fine with her grade.”

“Such an overachiever..”

“CAN IT!” The students flinched, promptly shutting up as Melissa snapped her head around to face the onlookers.

They quickly dispersed, giving her a path to exit the building. Once she exited the door, her phone dinged.

How did your exam go, dear? —a text from her mother. The pink-haired girl sighed, her fingers quickly typing out a response.

Could’ve been better. I got 16/18, which is an 88.

Honey, that's amazing!

The girl frowned. Not an A though.

That's still fine, Melissa. You are doing your best. Organic chemistry is a hard subject.

“Tch.” She reacted with a thumbs up, before stuffing her phone in her book bag. “Clearly, my best isn’t good enough.” How is she still making high Bs?! Pathetic. Her GPA will suffer at this rate!

“Yo Mel! How’d the exam go?”

Oh great, another problem.

“Bryan!” She smiled as her boyfriend wrapped her in a tight embrace, which she gleefully returned. Planting a quick kiss on his lips, she gave him a soft smile. “It went alright… Daryl outperformed me..again, but I’ll do better next time!” She definitely needed to do better. After all, she was dating the captain of the baseball team!

“I’m sure you will! After all, you’re the most hardworking person I know.” He had a..lascivious look in his eyes. Melissa internally sighed as she knew what was coming next.

“No, Bryan.”

“But-”

“No. I’m not ready yet.”

“Come on.” He moved his hand down to her waist, causing her breath to hitch as a blush crept on her face. “You’ve had a stressful day, what better way to let off some steam?”

God, he was so damn horny…Not that she minded. She loved it when he desired her, wanted her. He genuinely supported her…Men are just … men.

Then again, it might be a good idea.

“Fine, but I don’t want to go that far.” His eyes brightened with delight.

“Deal!”

“No deal, actually.” A new voice cut in, Bryan’s delight turning into scorn. Looking to the right, he frowned momentarily, before giving the newcomer a curt smile.

“Hi Chase.” Melissa could hear the venom in his voice. “What can I do for you? Long way from your kennel.”

Chase brushed off the insult with ease. “Well, as the RA it is my responsibility to track you down and put you back on your leash.” His eyes then wandered over to Melissa, ignoring the look Bryan gave him. “Hi Melissa, sorry but I need to steal your boyfriend real quick.”

“What for?”

The RA shrugged. “I don’t know, but the community director wants you in his office.” Melissa blinked, surprised. Typically their community director never called someone in unless it was serious. “So you need to head over there now.”

Bryan scoffed, leaving his girlfriend's embrace. “Fine. I’m going.”

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, the renowned college athlete walked off to get it over with. Leaving his girlfriend and the RA behind. Once he was out of earshot, Chase let out an exhausted sigh.

“Mel, I don’t know what you see in that asshole.”

Melissa huffed, crossing her arms. “He’s not as bad as everyone says he is. He treats me like a queen.”

“By asking you to sleep with him?” Chase turned to her with a concerned look. “You know the rumors-”

“Are just that. Rumors-”

“-Tell that to all the women that have transferred, and testified in court.”

Melissa closed her eyes for a second. She wasn’t stupid. All those accusations couldn’t have been for nothing. But they were just that. Accusations. Bryan was the only one who understood her. Appreciated her. She didn’t want to throw all that away.

“T-they’re all just accusations. You can’t judge a person just by word of mouth!” She stuttered.

Chase’s foot connected with a pebble on the ground, hearing it skid across the walkway. “Say what you want Melissa, but he’s a horny fuckboy that should be behind bars. I wish you would realize that.”

The woman pursed her lips together, frowning.

“Let's just agree to disagree.” Her response was curt as she unfolded her arms. “Anyways, I’m heading to the study room.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He watched her walk off, his exasperated expression growing with every step she took.

She was wrapped around his finger, and she didn’t even realize it. Or maybe she did, and just didn’t want to accept it. It didn’t matter to him at this point. She’d learn one day. Whether that would be through her own deduction or a total heartbreak remained to be seen.

For now though, he pushed that thought to the back of the mind. He needed to get the dorm safety checks over with. More concerningly, Daryl hadn’t been responding to his texts today regarding that paperwork for the student council. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, but the deadline for that paperwork was today.

“I’ll just swing by after the checks are done. He should be in his room once he’s done with his side.”

____________________________________________________________________________

Chapter Text

Daryl’s breaths were ragged, trying to stay conscious in spite of the excruciating pain he was in. The vice grip the creature locked him in immobilized both his body and face. The only thing he could see was the other two advancing in his peripheral vision.

“I already..t-told your friends.” His hands were shaky, slowly wrapping around the spear that had nestled itself into his body. “I don’t know..anything about any of this!”

The creature huffed. “If things have escalated to this point, that is quite false.”

“B-Bullshit!” Daryl spat, incandescent. “I literally just walked in here and these dipshits attacked me.” His grip on the spear tightened, his breaths becoming slightly less ragged in spite of the spear lodged in his being.

The spearman, who had been silent, spoke up. “You murdered our comrade!”

“He threw a fireball at me, I was..defending myself!” His hands slowly steadied, their twitching being sedated by the cold touch of the weapon it had ensnared in its grasp.

“Regardless.” The purple one spoke, its grip on his jaw tightening. “Your encroachment must be dealt with accordingly.” Daryl slightly shifted his feet, his knuckles paling as he held the spear with the last of his strength.


“Oh really?” This was gonna hurt. “Encroach this!”

Brief confusion on the shadow’s face turned to pain, as his prisoner surged backwards. Daryl rammed into its face, successfully landing a headbutt. He then jolted forward, using that momentum and shock to free the weapon from its hands, making Daryl its primary owner for the time being. Ignoring the pain to the best of his ability, he ran towards the creature and football tackled it into the wall. The monster shouted in pain as it felt the spearhead protruding from its attacker's body, that he once called his own, piercing his flesh and revolting against it. The betrayal stung, and the cause couldn’t help but smirk, despite the action making his chest scream in agony.

Though as he felt the creatures foot against his stomach, he was reminded just how often life loved to fuck with him.

It was so quick he couldn’t even react. One moment, he was pinning the creature against the wall by stabbing it with its own spear. Now, he was slumped against the counter, the spear no longer lodged in his body, and his world was spinning. The adrenaline began to wear off, and every part of his body was screaming in pain. Blood oozed out of the gaping hole in his chest, beginning to pool in between his legs. Fuck. That hurt like hell.

“Your tenacity is to be admired, intruder.” Despite the ringing in his ears, he was able to register the words. He slowly lifted his head to watch it pull the spear out of its chest and wield it like nothing happened.

Cocksucker.

He tried to speak, but no words came out of his mouth. All he could do was watch with wide eyes as the horse-riding spearman joined the creature’s side, both advancing towards him with their spears ready to strike.

“Unfortunately for you, it is the end of the line.”

Blood mixed with tears, as fatigue washed over him. Daryl felt paralyzed, frozen in time, unable to move a finger.

It is the end of the line.

A distant memory flashed in his eyes, triggered by the words. A hospital bed. An IV bag dripping solution into his arm. A heartbeat monitor beeping every few seconds, inconsistent, as if deciding whether it should give up. The cold dread of the hospital. An even colder weight of loneliness and isolation overshadowing it.

There was no warmth. No assurance. No family to worry about him. To tell him that he would come home soon. No friends waiting for him to get better so that they could go out to the movies, or play some games. Nobody was waiting for him. His only company was the periodic noises of the heart monitor at his bedside. Yet even that did little to dissipate the cold, dead, silence that permeated the ward. And yet…

The monotony was broken by the sounds of footsteps getting louder, and louder, and louder. Daryl’s soul screamed for relief, begging to be free.

The footsteps would eventually stop, a shadow over his bedside. Daryl’s heart dropped.

“ I’m sorry sweetheart” A woman’s voice, accompanied by a pitying smile and a lab coat. “ You’ll be ok, I promise.”

The words felt hollow, rehearsed. Oddly colder than the air being forced through his lungs by the CPAP machine on his face.

“ Don’t worry, okay?” He didn’t bother replying, his dull eyes speaking in his place.

She walked away, leaving him alone at his gravesite. Ironic, isn’t it? A place that is meant to promote life, sustain it, will instead allow him to depart without a care. Anyone would think he had been cursed. Perhaps he was.

Your life is one of persistence.

His ears pricked at the new voice, a blue butterfly was resting on the barrier of the bed he was laying on. Daryl blinked in surprise, the butterfly was intruding on the memory as if it had always been there to begin with. Its bioluminescent wings shone in stark contrast to the dull lighting of the ward. The enigmatic warmth left a tingling sensation on his hand. It felt foreign, yet familiar. Curious, but calming. He couldn’t decide what it was. 

All of a sudden, he felt himself shivering as water suddenly pelted his face. Taking in the claustrophobic walls of the alleyway, Daryl heard the squeal of tires near the entrance. His hand came up to shield his eyes at the blinding flashing lights. As his ears adjusted to the sound of police sirens, he saw three men bloodied and bruised. They laid by his feet, unconscious. Bringing his hand down, he saw it adorned with blood, the blue butterfly resting on his wrist joint. Behind him, he heard someone whimpering. A young female, if he had to guess.

Squinting through the flashing lights, he saw policemen approaching him, guns drawn. They were shouting something, but he couldn’t hear over the onslaught of rain clashing with the sirens of their cruisers. 

All of a sudden, the butterfly left his wrist. He felt his hands being yanked behind his back and bound by cuffs. A deputy began listing his Miranda rights. 

His head ached as it bumped the roof of the police cruiser. Squinting through the barred windows, he saw the men, who had regained consciousness, speaking to the officers as the woman left in an ambulance. Their expressions were smug.

This world has been cruel to you

He gazed down at a set of papers presented to him, the setting once again shifting. One hand was now bound to a stainless steel table by a set of cuffs. A pen was thrust into his free fingers. The detective in front of him gave him a scolding glare. 

You have been the scapegoat of many.

The cold stainless steel table changed into an office desk, his hands now resting on an armchair. Looking down at his left leg, he could see that an ankle monitor was tightly wrapped around it. Instead of a detective, the principal of his high-school was looking at him with disappointment. Daryl didn’t hear much, but the word ‘expulsion’ was as clear as day. To his right, a student wore a smug expression. It was the principal's daughter, whom he had apparently assaulted. Looking at the bruises around her throat, the blue butterfly that landed on her collar stopped him from trying to claim that it was just makeup. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway.

But you still persevered in spite of the hardships.

Standing up, he now found himself surrounded by darkness. Even the floor was pitch black. All that remained was him, and a mirror that was directly in front of him. A mirror covered by a purple cloth.. 

Now you find yourself at a crossroads…

Slowly, his hand grasped the cloth, an unconscious force demanding for him to reveal what laid beyond.

What will you do?

He yanked the cloth away, watching as it somehow vanished into thin air. With the mirror exposed, Daryl’s eyes widened as he was face to face with a man that looked almost perfectly like him. The only difference? 

Its eyes were a bright, soul piercing amber. 

Will you bow down to a preordained fate? 

He watched the butterfly as it sat on the shoulder belonging to his reflection.

You seem to be at an impasse. It spoke with his voice, its hand outstretched towards him. Tell me, is this truly how you want it to end? Will you kneel to a preordained fate? Throw away your resolve?

Reality began to flood his vision once again, the figure now directly in front of him. Behind him, the creatures reeled their weapons back, ready to strike. 

Or will you make your own destiny and break this wretched illusion? The veil cast upon all?

A fire ignited in Daryl’s soul, a bloodied hand reaching out towards the figure. As he got closer, he felt his palm resting on an invisible force. A barrier. With a resolve he didn’t know he had, he began to press into it. 

“You know my answer!!!”

It chuckled, raising its hand flat against the barrier as well. Mimicking Daryl’s actions, the invisible barrier continued to break. It was like glass. 

Then let us form a pact.

Ignoring the creatures, he pressed with all his might, feeling the barrier about to shatter. 

The reflection smirked, wrapping its fingers around his own. The sound of glass shattering overloaded his ears as the reflection slowly began to fade, though their hands remained clasped together. Daryl felt as if he was…absorbing it?

I am thou, thou art I.

Suddenly, he felt the adrenaline pumping through him once again. A gust of wind sent his adversaries blasting back, destroying the front desk along with it. His vision was blinded by a spiraling blue blaze surrounding his body, a migraine surging into his skull. The flames drowned out his screams, as he felt the flames searing his wounds, aggressively cauterizing them with a speed he didn’t think possible.

With our contract set in stone, use my power to alight the barrels of rage in your heart!

He felt something covering his face, his entire body feeling as if it was undergoing some transformation. Though he was too overwhelmed to deduce what it was, nor did he care at the moment. Despite all the pain he felt, for the first time in his life..

All you must do is rip off the mask that hides your true self, and say my name!

Their eyes landed on his emerald irises, concealed by a sleek, high tech domino mask with an iridescent quality. Despite its gray steel coloring, the edges were adorned with shifting colors, transitioning from red, to green, to blue, and every other color on the spectrum. As if it were mimicking a chameleon. What was once a white t-shirt and jeans was now a dark, fitted trench coat adorned with the same color-shifting patteration, highlighting deep reds, blacks, and golds. The design was also shared by slim, tactical pants, high-top combat boots, and fingerless gloves, lined with reinforced plating around his knuckles.

“Pathetic nobodies…” Daryl’s voice dripped with a venomous rage, his fingernails digging into his hands until blood ran. “Do you honestly think I’m just going to accept it?”

He raised his right hand, fingers curling around the mask. 

“Do you honestly think I’m just going to stand here and be told for the umptienth time that my life is over?!”

In a swift motion, he tore the mask off his face, laughing as the blood poured down his face. His emerald eyes now had an orange tint. If anyone saw him, they’d think he was a serial killer. 

He felt whole, he felt like himself. He felt free . Peace, even, despite the flames dissipating to reveal his enemies.

“I’ve never bowed down before, and I’m not about to now! Isn’t that right, Guido?!” He didn’t know where he learned the name, but it exited his mouth before he could even process it. The being in question cackled.

Indeed, let us show these vermin the consequences of their actions!

Chains erupted from the ground surrounded by blue flames as a creature came into existence behind him, the heat from its manifestation evaporating the blood on Daryl’s face. It was humanoid in appearance, wearing a golden trench coat sprinkled with an amethyst trim. It's a green tie… its entire body in fact, was covered with orange and blue flames. In one hand, it held a magical staff, the centerpiece sprinkled with various gems, in the other, a stick of dynamite with a lit fuse. Its face was covered by the trademark Fawkes mask, with its eyes having a purple and blue radiance. Upon seeing its foes, it laughed haughtily, causing the creatures to flinch slightly.

Run wild, show them your will of rebellion and release thy fury upon those that preserve injustice!

For once, he felt complete. For once, he felt truly alive. “Blow them to smithereens, Guido!” Lifting his hand, he snapped his fingers.

“Frei!”

He didn’t know what the word meant, yet it felt so natural coming out of his mouth. In an instant, a glowing light-blue sphere enveloped the horseman. With no time to dodge, the horseman dissolved into ash. Daryl’s jaw dropped at the level of power behind this- his attack. Though his shock only lasted for a moment. Right now, he had a situation to deal with.

“How intriguing..” The other shadow commented, watching with interest as he witnessed the Berith fade right before his eyes. For someone to awaken to such ability. It caused a memory to stir within him. One that had been repressed for quite some time.

“Regardless, it is time you meet your end.”

No matter, it wasn’t important anyways.

…Stupid eyeless freak!

“Frei!”
____________________________________________________________________________

Chase was growing more concerned with each step he took towards Daryl’s dorm. He hadn’t answered his texts. Nor had he answered his calls. Sure, the guy could just be having a ‘fuck you and everyone else’ day. Wouldn’t blame the dude, biochem majors have it rough from what he heard. Still, he would at least communicate regarding the student council form they needed to fill out. Daryl wasn’t that boorish. 

Maybe I’m just overthinking it.

Rounding the corner, an eyebrow rose in confusion upon seeing the sight before him. Every door was closed, save for the one at the end of the hallway. Daryl never left it unlocked, nobody did.

Feeling worried, Chase quickened his pace.

“Daryl! Are you—ouef!”

“Hey!—careful you idiot!” 

Running into the room, he wasn’t expecting to collide with someone. Taking a step back, his eyes landed on pink hair and an irritated expression. One that he recognized. 

“Melissa?” He asked, doing a brief look around to confirm he was in the right place. “What are you doing in Daryl’s dorm?” Crossing his arms, he glared at her accusingly. “Did you lockpick his door?” 

The girl huffed, offended. “Why the hell would I lockpick his door?! I don’t even know how to do that! If anything he’d lockpick mine!” 

Ah, right… Daryl does know how to do that.

Chase remembered when he picked his door while he was sleeping to grab some stuff from his room. It almost gave him a heart attack.

He sighed. “Ok, fair enough. Still, why are you in his room?” There was no legitimate reason for her to be here apart from trying to mess with his stuff. 

“I saw his door open.” She replied, closing said door as she spoke to give the two some privacy. “I wanted to ask if he cheated on the exam, so I let myself in and figured he’d be here.” Melissa let her eyes wander around the room, noting just how plain everything was.

Nothing there really gave away his interests, minus the stack of textbooks on the desk next to his bed. Nothing implied he was cheating either. She wasn’t so determined that she would start rummaging through his stuff, so her question was begrudgingly answered.

“I only just arrived, and since he isn’t here, I was about to leave.”

Chase frowned. He did not approve of how intrusive she was willing to be just to satisfy her own curiosity. “I see…” The explanation seemed honest, so he would drop it. “Still, you shouldn’t enter someone's room without permission. I could report you to the director for that, you know.” 

Melissa rolled her eyes, clearly not caring about potential ramifications. “And you?” Now it was his turn to be interrogated. Lovely. 

“I came here to get some papers from him for the student council.” He walked over to his desk, sitting down in his chair and beginning to rummage through his papers to find it. “When I saw his door open, I thought something might’ve happened, so I rushed down here and found you.” 

Melissa frowned, seeing Chase go through Daryl’s stuff. “Don’t you think you're being a bit intrusive?” 

Chase shook his head. “I’m not trying to find evidence of him cheating. I’m simply trying to find the student council papers.” Finding the papers in question, he grabbed them and pushed the choir shut. “Unlike you, he trusts me.”

The pink haired girl scoffed at his remark.

“Trusts you enough to rummage through his personal belongings?” Her eyes wandered between the desk and his bed, scanning the walls and the ceiling. If it wasn’t for his bedsheets and the laptop on his desk, you’d think nobody would be living here at all. It was..off putting how someone that always outperformed her had such a spartan living space. “..If he even has any to begin with.”

It was a complete opposite of her room. Her room was vibrant, colorful. It was filled with pictures of friends and family, along with several other memorabilia. 

Standing up, Chase stuffed the papers into his bag. “Trusts me more than he trusts you. Besides, if he can lockpick my room, that gives me the right to go through his shit at any given time.”

The two chuckled.

“Fair point.” A smirk formed on her face, Chase knowing it all too well. “Hmm, in that case-”

“Melissa no-” It was too late. She pushed him aside and began to open his drawers. Chase grabbed her shoulder, but she jerked him off. “I didn’t mean it like that!” 

“Hey, he picked my door once!” The scream from her roommate still gave her a headache whenever she remembered it. “I’m gonna see if he cheated.” Before she got any further though, Chase pulled her away, closing the choirs with his foot as he held her back. 

“Just because you’re jealous doesn’t mean you can go through his shit.” 

“Just because you’re impatient doesn’t mean you can go through his shit either!” 

“Oh come on~” She gave him a toothy grin, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Even if he hasn’t cheated, we’ve known him for a long time.” Chase didn’t like where this was going. “Yet we don’t know anything about him. We’ve never seen his family, never learned his interests. Now, we have the perfect opportunity. Aren’t you the least bit curious?” 

“No.” Chase declared, taking the wind out of her sails. “I’m not.” Sitting down at the desk again, he served as a barrier between his friends' stuff and Melissa’s curiosity. “Besides, we both know you just want dirt on him. If you want to learn about him, then ask him yourself.” 

“Fine.” Melissa huffed, and for a moment Chase thought she was giving up. Though when she sat down on the floor, he resisted the urge to facepalm. 

“Melissa.” Curse this brat. “Why are you sitting on the floor?” 

“Waiting for him to come back so I can ask him if he cheated.”

Chase could feel the veins popping out on his forehead. “….God, you are such a fucking child.” He whipped out his phone and began to take pictures of the documents. The student council would have to make due with photos of the papers. Chase wasn’t going to be delivering them anytime soon. 

Both of them were oblivious to the blue butterfly watching them, observing as they suddenly got headaches, the window in the room now glowing a vibrant red.

____________________________________________________________________________

The sounds of bullets echoed in the halls. They sent ripples in the air, whizzing past his enemy and shattering the glass walls. It drew the attention of some other shadows, but they didn’t engage for some reason. It was weird, but Daryl didn’t really care right now. All that mattered was filling this stupid thing full of lead, using his dual desert eagles to mag dump it.

Yeah, apparently he had two desert eagles. Fingerless fighting gloves too, both of which were not something he originally had. Maybe it came with his…transformation? It could be deduced later. What was a fact, however…

The college student was a terrible shot. Almost every shot, save for a lucky few, completely missed. The few ones that actually had hit their mark barely grazed it! His friends would question whether or not he was Texan with how bad he was.

“You overestimate your strength, intruder.”

….Oh great, now it's taunting me. Bastard!

“Just shut the fuck up and die!” Aiming the gun, he pulled the trigger. It made a sharp click . Daryl cursed at the sound, but quickly stashed them away. Where did they go? No idea, it didn't matter.

“Guido!” The persona materialized instantly, the smile plastered on its mask as its eyes glowed with ferocity. “Dazzler.”

The room was illuminated with a flashing light. Daryl had to shield himself with an arm so that he wouldn’t get blinded. Through the light, he saw that the attack landed. The creature was now swaying back and forth, slightly hunched. It looked quite punchable.

Daryl couldn’t resist running up to it and giving it the ol 1-2 southpaw special. A jab to the face, followed by another, followed by a right hook, going straight into a left uppercut. The sequence of events sent it tumbling to the ground. A cocky smirk grew on his face.

“Guess I’m stronger than I look, ey?” Still in his boxing stance, he glanced down at the creature, who seemed to be content on the ground. 

“Still, there’s much you need to learn.” It growled back.

“About what?” He lowered his defense, crossing his arms in anger. “I told you. I literally just fucking got here! I don’t know anything that’s happening right now!” 

He then watched it laugh, beginning to glow blue. “This entire scenario....it has stirred many memories.” Slowly, it stood up, grabbing its spear. “Very well. I will come to your aid.” Daryl had to shield his eyes again, the blue glow intensifying. “I am not just a shadow in a sea of souls.” Through the light, the persona-user watched as it began to transform, shocked at what was happening. 

“I am Mishaguji.” The creature now turned into a blue circle. “And now, I am a part of you.” 

“What?!” The circle then sped towards him, Daryl bringing his other arm to shield his face. The orb passed through his arms. He thought it was going to hit him, but he was surprised to feel a warmth spreading through his face. For just a moment, he could feel the blue glow cover his mask, before fading alongside the warmth he felt. Now he stood alone, a strange feeling in his chest. 

“What...just..happened?” 

A wave of fatigue slammed into him like a truck, cutting off any thought as he lost any sense in his legs. Daryl hit the ground with a thud , feeling powerless to do anything against gravity. With the adrenaline now waning, everything within him began to shut down. He wanted to try and resist, but was completely outmatched by his own aching body. 

As his consciousness faded, he made out two figures rushing towards him. He thought he heard his name, but he couldn’t register anything. For a moment, he felt something pulling at both his sides. That was as far as he got before his eyelids shrouded him in darkness.