Finality is not something that can be ignored. Life, death, rebirth all a matter of miniscule significance in a universe so vast and infinite. The Finality does not waver, it does not wane, for it is the essence of the universe itself. Entering the Halls of the Departed one must perceive their insignificance before returning to the waking world, the nihilistic approach. Or understand that within the passage of time many will have meaning, many will discover a life worth living. This cycle is not one which is easily broken and the ones who do, are doomed to eternity.

Dawn and Dusk do not like being tampered with, and just as there is a beginning and an end there is a line that should not be shattered. On that Fateful day, the eve upon which one discovers the truth behind this universe, the straight and narrow line becomes mangled and entwined. A butterfly, beautiful yet short lived, is a spot on the blank canvas which will not be entertained. Death is the only determination, a restless sleep aching for the call. Remember it well lost one for yours is a tale yet written.

I woke up with a heavy breath an intense fever breaking sweat down my neck. I was staying at the Goethe hotel thanks to some work I provided for lodging which thankfully allowed me the first good sleep that I have had since ending up here. That was until my violent awakening. I didn’t remember what I was dreaming about, but it was most certainly not comforting, and my brain was struggling to handle whatever it had experienced.

“You’re playing a dangerous game Seele, testing fate as you are. I don’t think you know what you are stumbling into; in fact, I know you don’t. Running straight into the maws of a masked fool, I will give you credit for guts but if you are banking on some big reveal to save you from your stupidity than I am afraid I’m going to have to burst your bubble, that won’t happen.” Veliona or dark Seele said smirking at my helplessness.

“Your mocking is kind of annoying you know. You said that you are a Veliona from my own experiences rather than one from the Honkai games. If that is the case than you should know that I am not the Seele from Honkai either.” I started before being cut off.

“Oh, is that so? You’re not the little girl unwilling to take risk? You’re not the little girl who shuns the world to stay inside her own little bubble? You’re not the little girl who relies on others to solve all of your problems? No, Seele, you’re exactly who I think you are. The only question is whether or not you do.” The strong unkind words would normally mean nothing to me but the fact that it was basically myself saying them opened me up to the realization that there was some truth in what she said.

“Things have changed. I now have a reason to fight, a passion worth pursuing!” I exclaimed just as much to myself as the girl who continues to haunt me.

“Once a person shows their true colors believe them because history will always repeat itself. It’s all an eventuality after all.” With a sickening laughter bringing chills up my spine, I knew that once again my mind was left alone, her presence retreating within me.

“F***!” I swore. This was the first time that I genuinely felt fear from my counterpart. It was becoming clear now that she was far more than she admitted to being. I wanted to keep a straight face at the all the emotions that were whirling around inside me but the tears falling down my cheek spoke to my inability to do so. Well, I got to hope that with my meeting with Sampo I won’t be as see-through as I am with my other self.

Still gathering myself, I heard a knock at my door. Things were about to get interesting.

I opened the door of my hotel room to find that no one was there for me to speak with, in fact there was no one down the entire hallway. The only clue that anyone had been there was a small, folded piece of paper which sat on the floor right beyond the door. The game has begun it seems.

The note wrote,

Well, hello there redacted,

As you have likely surmised my name is Sampo Koski. As a kindred soul I am sure that you are fond of the cat and mouse game just as I am, however, I have a better surprise. I can tell, friend that you aren’t from around here, but you also are not from the Tavern. If you want to play the game, you have to consider all the pieces, right? Out of the kindness of my heart, it will be a pleasure to teach you the ropes. After all, we both are seekers of Elation, right?

Yours truly, your pal Sampo

Of course, he didn’t buy my gamble, there is no way to estimate the insanity of a masked fool after all and he’s right, I don’t have all the pieces to the puzzle. I must also admit that I didn’t expect him to basically give me an invitation to the Tavern, or at the very least an explanation as to how they operate.

“Well, let’s hope that I am not too in over my head on this one.” Funnily enough, despite this plausibly being a life-threatening meeting I felt less nervous about it than I ever did going to a job interview or taking a test I wasn’t prepared enough for. I guess that lines up though, I felt more prepared for this than I probably should. Putting aside the fact that I know a lot about Sampo and the Masked Fools already, I should have been more nervous but instead I felt like I was walking into a situation that I already knew the outcome of. It was strange.

Walking out of the hotel I briefly considered telling Natasha where I would be going for this meeting with Sampo, but decided against it thinking that she might send someone alongside me. This was to be a meeting between two individuals, and I don’t think Sampo would take it lightly for people revealing his secrets even on a backwater planet that probably wasn’t even familiar with the masked fools. I am curious though how long Sampo has been on Jarilo VI for; after all the planet has been blocked off for hundreds of years. I am not putting it past him to be an emanator of elation himself but his interactions with Sparkle didn’t make it clear enough to make a conclusion. At a bare minimum, he is playing up the fool role to a tee which means he absolutely cannot be trusted.

Like a premonition, I suddenly knew of a few things that would make my introduction all the more sweet and more appealing to seekers of elation. A ripped-up cloak was laying down upon a bunch of rubble from a worn-down building inside Rivet town. Even more unlikely to find was a worn-down vagrant mask which with the passage of time had lost its color. Nice with these two things I can pull off a worthy performance.

Seele Jarilo VI POV

I knew from the moment that I met Seth that there was something different about him than the people of the Underworld. It did not become clear how much I was right until speaking with Nat about his questionable journey here. He was not from around here, our conversation made that pretty certain, however, it was the way that he seems to command a conversation no matter who he is speaking with that put me on guard. He was able to speak with several members of Wildfire and despite his questionable circumstances we took him in like he was suddenly one of us going to fight our fight. And now he was going to convince Sampo to help. It was like, decision making was thrown out the door when speaking with him, it didn’t make sense.

It was hard to question his intent because he seemed very sincere in his words however, if he was manipulating us, I needed to know. Given his surprise about my abilities I felt pretty confident I would be able to tail him on his excursion to find Sampo, but in that I found even more questions.

The man, who looked to be around my age, seemed to walk around old Rivet Town like he knew the place despite never being here and even stranger he went straight for locations that happened to have things he needed. A cloak, a mask and a … hat? Did he plant them there in those precise locations or did he somehow know exactly where they were? Either way it made for an interesting disguise that completely changed his appearance. He almost looked menacing.

After walking around a bit longer he took it upon himself to sit down at the old, abandoned restaurant. So, this was their agreed upon meeting place. I wonder if Seth has already gotten a hold on even Sampo because it was questionable why Sampo would even entertain the meeting in the first place. Unless they both knew something that we didn’t which I guess would be par for the course in Sampo’s case.

The wait seemed just as agonizing for Seth as it did for me as it became clear that Sampo was either running on his own schedule or they never set a time for the meeting. The latter would be rather funny given everything else I have taken note of, but who knows.

“It seems like you’ve come dressed for the occasion friend, I really like your ensemble and your dedication to the act. Makes me wonder if the Tavern somehow overlooked a potential candidate. But mistakes are all just a part of the act, right? Tell me friend, what is a follower of THAT path doing masquerading as a Fool?” Sampo suddenly walked out of the shadows with the same scheming voice he normally did. However, his tone quickly shifted upon asking Seth his question. Seth’s explanation of aeons and paths clued me into what they were talking about, but it still didn’t make much sense. What was the Tavern? What path did Sampo claim Seth was following and why did Fool feel like it meant more than it normally did?

“I am not sure which path you think I follow, but as for your question, let’s just say I am aware of you and yours and this was nothing more than a ploy to get you to come out of the shadows. You have skills that I could use to get what I need.” Seth explained seemingly not unnerved by Sampo’s change.

“You mean to tell me you can’t smell the stench that radiates off you like a dog? Funny, I thought one as connected as you to … fate would be more… certain. Interesting, well friend, I believe I have read the situation incorrectly, this partnership may actually be as lucrative as you say. I look forward to working with you.” Sampo said with an exaggerated bow.

“Glad to hear it. That being said, I think you are a little bit more informed about the supposed path that I follow than I am. Think you could clue me in?” Seth asked giving me insight that he actually might not be aware of his path which would explain his genuine nature. Sampo laughed at the question.

“I think not my friend, the fact that you don’t know is the only reason I am interested in helping you. That being said, it does give me confidence that everything will go according to plan. Why don’t we talk business, hm?” Sampo smiled beginning to lead Seth inside the broken-down building. Damn, I might not be able to hear them from there.

Leaping across the alleyway I made my way to the other side of the restaurant where I might be able to get a better view, but something stopped me in my tracks. Just like when Seth spoke to me for the first time, I felt my heartbeat intensify.

Φ

Φ

Φ

Time slowed to a crawl, but I did not do anything. I never used my abilities which means this was the work of something else.

“You’re not wrong you know.” A sickeningly chilling voice spoke from behind me leading me to take out my scythe at the sudden threat which made my nerves spike.

A girl, seeming to be around fifteen years old, stood behind me, eyes, void of emotion, staring at me. Her skin was a greyish pale which made the vibrance of her purple glowing eyes stand out all the more. A dress made up of a dark material that drifted in the wind as if it was a liquid. Her hair was a short bob dark like the rest of her ensemble, but it was interlaid with bright purple highlights which matched her striking eyes.

“What? Who are you? What are you?” I asked almost stumbling on my words at the sight of such a girl. She simply grinned at my loss of composure getting closer to me despite wielding such a deadly weapon. She’s not afraid of me?

“Hm, oh, I guess I can afford a bit of an introduction.” She cleared her throat as if preparing a speech. “I am a darkness that is approaching, I am a reprieve for the living, I am a burdened soul tasked with the completion of all things.” She said almost with utmost distain for the words.

“I don’t know what any of that means but you snuck up on me for a reason. Explain yourself or I will…”

“You will nothing Seele. You see, as much power as you wield, there is much that you don’t have. I see that you are one that never split like most of us, truly a gift since it allows you to have a backbone. But sometimes it’s good to maintain a level of innocence I guess and that’s something a certain individual is running out of.” She riddled out nonsense which gave me the thought that if ever given the chance, I need to study up on the universe, so this doesn’t become a pattern every time something out of this world happens.

“Stop speaking in riddles! Explain yourself!” I tried to take back command of the conversation, but she was clearly undeterred.

“You’re a fun one, aren’t you? Unfortunately, your death would hinder Him and that’s not something I can afford. So, to put it simply, stay away from Seth, or I will break the rules of time to end you!” The threat led me to take action on the girl as it became clear that something was up about her. But before the tip of my blade could reach her, she dissolved into a sea of dark colored butterflies.

“What!?” I exclaimed at the sudden disappearance. My eyes darted back and forth to see where she went but I couldn’t find her. Putting aside the issue for the time being I charged for the entrance of the restaurant below to see where Seth and Sampo got off to. However, when I got there, they too were nowhere to be found.

“Ugh! My mind must be playing tricks on me.” There’s no way that they could have gotten the slip on me even with that added distraction. I don’t know who that girl was, but she’s connected to Seth’s secrets, and I am not afraid to get to the bottom of it.

Seth’s POV

Huh? I was pretty sure that Seele was following me. That’s strange, there’s no way that she could have lost us, I mean we weren’t exactly moving very quickly.

“So, tell me, what’s on your mind. I am interested to learn why a stranger from afar feels so indebted to the people here to go so far as to challenge the supreme guardian. What’s your play, friend?” Sampo asked intrigued.

“Well, when faced with a higher power than oneself people are forced to make a decision between two choices. Fight back or comply. Having determined the power behind the scenes, Cocolia has already made such a decision leading me to believe that she lacks a backbone. If this is the case, which I am banking on, all that needs to happen is for something else to fill that space.” Laying the groundwork for my plan would take time but the gist of it was rather simple. Cocolia never fought back against the stellaron because she believed it to be pointless. Now however, it is likely that she full heartedly believes that the stellaron’s ‘salvation’ is the only path for Jarilo VI. This will not be an easy task.

“Hah! You plan to supplant the stellaron’s influence? You really are a fool! You know those Silvermane guards are no joke, one step out of line and you’re on their most wanted list. In fact, I’ve had a few run ins with them myself and let me tell you, they have no sense of humor.” He said with partial sarcasm. It really is hard to get a read on this guy. Like are the Silvermane guards really a threat to him or is he playing them up. Perhaps he was on some sort of Elation sabbatical where he took some time away from the mask and the life of a Masked Fool and got trapped here without his power.

“Cocolia, whether she knows it or not wants the destruction of the old world to rebuild the new. Simple problem, there won’t be anything left to rebuild. Who says they need a complete reset to rebuild though? If she truly wants to save this world, she will listen. The path is clear. If it is rebirth that she wants, it is rebirth that she will get.”

As my eyes shined a glimmering purple without my notice a young girl stood atop the roof above grinning mischievously.

“Soon Seele, soon, your blasphemy will come to light and when it does your life will be sacrificed as an example to all who defy Him.”