1. A: The Thousand Paths Of A Spiraling Maze

A thousand paths and a thousand more, interconnected but independent, shaping an endless maze. Nevertheless, it’s in such a maze she stood. The epitome of beauty and the embodiment of cuteness, and that is... A coin.

A round and cute coin, with a black and silver body, stood atop my fingertip in all its shining glory, and then by mistake... it fell. Following the paths of its brethren or maybe rolling on a pilgrimage, the coin slowly moved, only to then speed on its way.

Through a twisted door, through a spiraling corridor, along the bloodied walls and also those cracked floors, that coin kept rolling and rolling more. Even when the corridor split in two and the walls of this maze rearranged themselves, that coin?... Well, somehow it kept rolling and then it took a turn meeting another coin.

One coin and another, now numbering two, kept moving on and on in a maze where right is left, where up is down, and so... Two coins kept rolling, then as they fell from a fissure in the ceiling, they surprisingly met another... coin? Well... Guess, the number of coins is already in the three digits by now. Hell, even the map is getting clearer by the second, nevertheless...

“Was following it here... I don’t know, maybe reckless?”

Hmmm, well, it’s my only success this far, so spending this much effort on getting it back is worth it. Still, me getting myself lost here aside, let’s see...

”A coin here is moving, a coin there is rolling, and finally...”

There, there at a silent but distorted staircase, a coin was flying and a hooded kid was running, but is it fate? Is it love?

Finally, one of the coins found its home, how happy this is... and how annoying too... I mean, with the noise ringing in my ears and the vision forcing its way into my head, but...

“Well, finally Mama found you, kid...”

Smiling and saying that, I stretch my back and then relax my arms and legs, before taking a few steps to the front, but...

“Is it here?”

“No, a few degrees to the left, Account...”

Walking forward and listening to the palm-sized, red-armored valkyrie pointing direction for me, I finally stop in place and for a few seconds check my aim, only to then close my eyes and no, it’s not to focus better. Instead, it’s more like an attempt...

“... An attempt to not lose my sight, that is.”

Keeping my eyes closed and half-seriously muttering that, I slowly move my clenched fist, and then...

“NOW”

I suddenly and intensely feel it... The sound of air twisting and whistling as it rings in my ears, the scorching pain in my closed eyes as the blue and white glow fills the world, and then...

RUuUMBLE.

And then there is the feeling of exhalation and excitement, as an intense explosion’s shockwave spread and sweeps everything around it, be it me or... the tens of walls in its path.

........

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12 days, maybe 13? I am not sure, but that’s pretty much the amount of time I have been here... Of course, ‘Here’ is a confusing word considering I am still not sure where or what this Area is, but again, the same can be said about ‘Time.

After all, my own perception of time has been weird for most of my life, add to that Observer’s acceleration and the Oblivion’s unequal flow, and yeah... 12 days, maybe 13, and though I am not sure how many minutes or seconds that would equal, but hey...

“At the very least, they are solar days so they are not distorted by my own perception, right?”

Speaking that and surprisingly feeling motivated, I calmly look at the upside-down bedroom scenery in front of me and then getting my fill of it, I slowly...

Boom.

Well, not slowly I guess. Thinking that and pulling myself from the wall where I am stuck, I calmly jump back on my feet and then once more look around me. At the dimly lit swirling corridor with no doors to see, at the giant hole in a wall tunneling tens of meters ahead of me, and then I turn my head, but... Hmm?

“Oh, I thought I felt light... So this is the reason...”

Nodding my head and saying so, I glance at my right, and can you believe it? Not only is my sports bra showing and my white shirt burning, but even my arm...

“... It’s completely missing? For real?”

Sigh, as expected, it’s still hard to pull back my punches. Alas, it’s the fate of being an Op Chara, nevertheless...

“Jokes aside, this won’t do. It Really... won’t do.”

Speaking that and also checking the map my Navi come up with, I slowly move to the wall where a gaping hole is slowly healing, and then... I stop in place checking myself, but...

Hmmm, my sandals? They are heavy, so somehow they are still there... My shorts? Well, they have high defense, all I need is to dust them and get their nice black color back... Then next is my hat, but...

“Hmm? Where is it, though? Weird...”

Saying that and feeling sadness over the loss of the only real piece of clothes I have, I take a moment of silence in its memory while also sneakily looking around, but...

“It’s not here...”

“What is, Account? Should I fin-”

“No need.”

Answering Navi like that and ending the topic, I once again glimpse at my right, but as expected...

ZzzSsZt.

Sparks sound.

“I should fix this.”

Saying that and looking at my shoulder, I calmly wait as the black vortex of Curse spread from it and through the path of red sparks, and then as the sparks slowly die out and my sense of touch is back, I move and pull back my arm... Temporary, but still my arm.

“Though it’s kinda cold and too squishy for my liking, but...”

Sigh, I really went overboard. Thinking that and glancing at the glossy, pure black arm with blue tattoo-like lines, I shake my head and then move to shaking that arm instead as I test it, but...

“This will do for now.”