Starcrest University

<center>''Starcrest University''</center> <center>//Nosce te ipsum, nosce fratrem tuum//</center> <center>[[✦ Start ✦->Main Menu]]</center> (set: $playername to "Name") (set: $pronouns to "unknown") (set: $favoritecolor to "unknown") (set: $KATYALOVE to 0) (set: $ZENITHLOVE to 0) (set: $RICHTERLOVE to 0) (set: $EMILIALOVE to 0) (set: $SAIRALOVE to 0) (set: $LEONLOVE to 0) (set: $FINCHLOVE to 0) (set: $KATYAPROF to false) (set: $ZENITHPROF to false) (set: $RICHTERPROF to false) (set: $EMILIAPROF to false) (set: $SAIRAPROF to false) (set: $LEONPROF to false) (set: $FINCHPROF to false)

(set: $playername to (prompt: "Enter your name","Name") ) (if: $playername is not "Name")[You have entered the name $playername. [[Choose pronouns->Choose Pronouns]]](else:)[[[Return to Title Page->Title Page]]]

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Is this correct? Name: $playername Pronouns: (if: $pronouns is "nb")[they/them/theirs](if: $pronouns is "fem")[she/her/hers](if: $pronouns is "masc")[he/him/his] Favorite Color: $favoritecolor [[Yes, start game->Beginning]] [[No, restart->Title Page]]

I open the door and enter the classroom. It's a smaller classroom with five rows of five seats each. A thin, older man is at the front of the classroom talking to a younger woman with pale pink hair—that must be the professor and one of the students, or maybe a TA? They pay me no notice, so I just walk by and begin looking for a seat. I scan the classroom to try to glean more information about my situation. For the most part, I don't see anything unusual, let alone magical. There are a few students that radiate main character energy, though. At the front of the room sits a pretty, well-dressed girl with chestnut brown hair and pink irises. A blank open notebook and pen sit in front of her, and she's reading a thick book titled "The Empire of Withering." Judging by the cover, it seems to be somewhat academic in nature. A row behind her sits a boy with medium-length, navy blue hair and round, gold-rimmed glasses. He's absorbed in a book even thicker than the girl's, which I can only guess is some kind of technical manual. In the back row, there's an androgynous person with long seafoam green hair and a slender, muscular build, wearing athletic clothes. They don't seem to be doing anything other than waiting for class to begin, idly tapping their fingers on their desk. I take a seat to the left side of the third row. [[Wait for class to begin.]]

The classroom door opens and in walks a striking young woman with dirty blond hair, wearing a cropped black jacket and tight, distressed jeans. Her expression is neutral, but for some reason, the tension in the room seems to skyrocket. The professor even stops his conversation to greet her. "Miss Leskovic, welcome," he says, a twinge of anxiety in his voice. She only nods and takes a seat in the second row. [[Continue watching and waiting.]]

A couple more students enter without incident. Then, a tall young man with wavy black hair in a well-tailored suit enters the room. Strapped to his back is clearly some kind of sword. "Excuse me," says the professor. "What is that on your back?" "It's my personal property. Is there a problem?" he replies. "Weapons are only allowed in designated combat training areas," the professor says. "I can't allow you to bring that item into this classroom. It's a safety issue." He scowls. "Are you serious? As if Miss Mafia Princess over there isn't packing heat," he says, gesturing to the blond woman. The professor pales at the reference. "It's not my job to speculate, and it would be inappropriate for me to search a student's personal belongings," he says. "But since you are clearly carrying a weapon, you must either stow it somewhere and return or else you cannot attend this class, Mister...?" "Atónal," he says. The professor looks like he's been punched in the gut. "Ah. I see. I'm sorry, I misunderstood. Please..." he trails off. "It's fine," the man replies and breezes past him to take his seat. Behind you, you hear two girls gossiping about what just happened. [[Eavesdrop on their conversation.]]

"First, I'd like to welcome you all to Starcrest University," he says. "As I'm sure you already know, Starcrest University is the premiere institution for the study of magic, combat, and the arts and sciences on the eastern seaboard. You should all be proud of yourselves for being accepted here. "My name is Professor Darcere, and I'll be your teacher for this Introductory Studies course. "I know that none of us are thrilled to be here at this hour. You're here because you had the misfortune of this being the only section that fit into your schedule, and I'm here because I had the misfortune of this being the only time I was available to teach this class. I'm sure many of you will quickly decide this class is skippable, and I won't see you for the rest of the semester. But for those of you who do attend, I will try to make it worth your while. "As you've probably already guessed, the purpose of this class is to acquaint you with the campus and its resources, teach you strategies for academic success, and maybe even help you get to know some of your fellow students. "After all, our school's motto is 'Nosce te ipsum, nosce fratrem tuum'; 'Know thyself, know thy brother.' Working together with others will be key to your success here. "With that in mind, I think it would be a good idea for us to all introduce ourselves. I—" [[What was that sound?]]

Only a few more students filter in after that, but the last two both make an impression, despite slipping in right at the last minute and having to rush to their seats. The second-to-last to appear is a girl with wavy, vibrant orangey-red hair wearing an extravagant beaded dress that shows more cleavage than is maybe appropriate for the classroom. She wears a brilliant fire opal pendant around her neck, and she radiates a vivacious energy even without saying a word. And the very last is a guy dressed in what I can only describe as stereotypical medieval bard clothing, in shades of purple from head to toe, topped off by a large hat with brown and white striped feathers. Whether this is a costume, a fashion statement, or just socially acceptable clothing in this world, I can't tell, but he doesn't get as much staring as I would think. His tardiness has no effect on his easy smile. "All right, everyone, take your seats, quiet down," the professor says. "Welcome to Introductory Studies." I notice that the person that he was talking to before is no longer next to him, nor do they seem to be in any of the seats. [[Listen to the professor.]]

"...thinks he can just do whatever he wants just because his mommy's rich..." says the first girl. "Yeah..." the other girl says noncommittally. "The whole sword thing is so fucking cringe. It's so embarrassing that he does all this pathetic LARPing at being a warrior when we all know his mom will just give him some cushy job at her company." "Shut up, Yancy, what if he hears us?" "What, you afraid of Rich Boy too?" Yancy mocks, but she doesn't say anything else either. [[Turn your attention back to the door.]]

An ear-splitting screech cuts off the professor's speech, and the room falls into pitch blackness. Several students scream. A small teal flame appears at the front of the room. Looks like the professor has lit some small magic lamp on his desk, but it's still pretty hard to see. "Please stay calm, everyone," the professor urges. "I'm sure there's a logical explanation for this, probably just some mechanical fail—" A shadowy form reaches out and slams the professor to the ground. More students scream. People start to rush for the exits. I see Leskovic and Atónal run for the door that we came in. The two bookworms head for the other exit on the opposite side of the classroom, and the athlete and the two flamboyant latecomers head for a door at the back of the room. I need to make a decision. [[I run toward the door that I came in.]] [[I run toward the auxiliary exit.]] [[I run toward the door at the back of the room.]]

Choose your pronouns: [[they/them/theirs]] [[she/her/hers]] [[he/him/his]]

I follow Leskovic down the left hallway, running as fast as I can. When we reach the end of the hallway, we start trying as many doorknobs as we can, only to realize that they're all locked staff offices. We turn to face the monster, and I get my first good look at it—or as good of a look as I can get, anyway. It's a constantly shifting, amorphous cloud of shadow, but I can make out a few darker spots that must be its eyes and mouth. It howls its terrible cry at us again and we both shudder, but Leskovic quickly steadies herself and takes aim with her pistol. She fires a few shots at the beast, which seems to stagger it. A moment later, though, it lunges forward, a shadowy appendage transforming into a long claw, slashing her right side, creating a nasty gash and leaving a strange shadowy residue oozing from the wound. She screams as it throws her to the ground, but her gun is still in her hand. She grits her teeth and empties it into the creature's face, finally causing it to go limp and fall to the ground. She shrugs it off and sits up, leaning against one of the hall doors. I cautiously move closer to examine the body and make sure it's dead. Suddenly, it twitches and gives a weak shriek. I stomp my shoe into its face, and it goes still; then, after a moment, it vanishes into shadowy smoke, leaving no trace. I move over to Leskovic. [["Are you okay?"]]

I follow Atónal down the right hallway, running as fast as I can. This hallway ends with two large, nice-looking wooden double doors. The sign above reads "LIBRARY." We throw open the doors and run inside. The monster smashes through the doors behind us, raining shards of wood onto the floor. In the center of the room, there's a staircase, two sets of stairs curving around a book display in the center to meet at the top, which leads to the second level of the library. Atónal runs up the left side while I run up the right. When he gets to the top, he draws his sword from his back, a flash of gleaming red metal, jumps and plunges down onto the monster, a constantly shifting, amorphous cloud of shadow with three darker spots that must be its eyes and mouth. The monster lets out a high-pitched howl as Atónal's sword drags through its shadow-flesh. It thrashes and throws Atónal off of its body. He gets to his feet and tries to swing for the monster's mouth, but the swirling darkness dissipates out of the way, then reforms and solidifies into concentric rows of pointed teeth, lunging for his arm. Its bite barely misses him as he dodges out of the way at the last second. He continues slashing at the monster. He gets a few hits in, but the monster's attacks are forcing him backward toward the bookshelf on the other side of the room. The monster turns the end of one shadowy appendage into a razor-sharp claw and brutally slashes his left forearm, drawing blood and leaving traces of shadow clinging to the wound. Other than a sharp gasp, Atónal does a remarkable job of remaining unfazed, his hands firmly on his sword, continuing to find opportunities to strike when he can. It's clear that he's wearing the monster down, but it's wearing him down as well. We need to end this. I have to do something. I look around for anything I can use. I see a cart of books and give it a firm shove down the stairs. The cart slams into the monster, books flying everywhere. The monster gives a final howl that dies down into silence, then collapses on the ground. A moment later, the creature vanishes into shadowy smoke, leaving no trace. Atónal collapses to the ground. [[Check on Atónal.]]

I quickly run for the door that I came in. I know where it goes, so that's a plus. Also, being around the two people confirmed to have weapons on their person sounds like a really good idea right now. I make it out the door and find that the main hallway lights are off as well, but some emergency lights are on, creating barely enough light to see. I see Leskovic and Atónal both running in the same direction down the hallway, so I follow suit. Another screech cuts through the darkness, and my heart drops into my stomach. It's following us. Leskovic turns back and fires a shot in the direction of the monster, fortunately missing me. //Guess she really was carrying.// If the bullet hit its mark, the monster doesn't give any indication. She keeps running. The hallway ahead splits off into two directions. Leskovic turns left; Atónal turns right. [[Turn left, following Leskovic.]] [[Turn right, following Atónal.]]

I run toward the other exit. Seems like it's the choice of the two smartest people in the room, so I may as well throw in my lot with them. The door leads to an adjacent classroom, which in turn leads to another classroom, and so on. The three of us race through aisles of student desks, letting doors slam shut behind us. I'm not sure how much of an obstacle doors really present to this creature, but I guess it's better than nothing. Finally, we reach the end of the line. We can either stay in this classroom or exit to the hallway. "Help me barricade the doors," the blue-haired boy says, starting to move desks and other objects in front of the door that we came in from. "We can't stay here," says the brunette girl. "We should find a professor, or a dean, or someone! If that thing breaks in here, there's no way we can fight it!" "We're probably the only ones here at this time of night. We should barricade the exits and try to hold out until help comes. And if it does break in, I do have something we can use as a weapon." He pulls a strange, gleaming green object out of his backpack. It's not like any gun you've ever seen, but it certainly looks like a better weapon than anything you have on your person. The girl glances at the object, then shakes her head. "I won't stay here and wait to die. I'm sorry." [[Stay here.]] [[Leave.]]

I run toward the door at the back of the room. Not as many people are going that direction, so there's less chance I'll get stuck in a crowd crush and end up easy prey for the monster. But when I open the door and slam it closed behind me, I realize I'm chest-to-chest with the three students I saw run in before me. This isn't an exit. This is a closet. "Well, this is cozy," says the guy in the feathered hat, way more jovially than the situation warrants. "Wouldn't be the first time I was skin-to-skin with three strangers in a closet," the girl jokes. "Be quiet, you two, the monster will hear us," says the other. We all awkwardly shift about, trying to get into the least uncomfortable position possible when suddenly we hear a click. [[Aaaaaaaah!]]

The floor suddenly gives way beneath us and we're all tumbling down a staircase. By the time we reach the bottom, I'm battered, bruised, and...face first in the ginger girl's tits. I'm pretty sure the guy's face is in my ass, and we're all in a pile crushing the athlete at the bottom. As I look up to meet the girl's eyes, cheeks blazing, she offers me a breathy, "Hey. I'm Saira." I quickly disentangle myself and scramble to my feet. "I'm, uh, $playername. Uh...Sorry," I say awkwardly. "Not a problem," she says flirtatiously. "Is everyone okay?" I ask, looking around at the others. "Can't complain," the guy says, putting his hat back on. "I'm Leon, by the way," he adds, smiling. "And I'm Finch," says the athlete. "And I'm all right, thank you. What the hell is this place, anyway?" "The professor's secret evil lair?" Leon jokes. We look around the room. There's a large magic circle in the center of the room. "Shit, it really is the professor's secret evil lair," Leon says. "He //is// a professor of magic," Finch says. "A magic circle isn't exactly incriminating. The secret room is a bit of a red flag though." [[Investigate the magic circle.]]

We move closer to examine the magic circle. It's a simple pentagram drawn in what appears to be ordinary salt, with gemstones at each of the star's five points. "Maybe this is what summoned the monster," Leon suggests. "Maybe," Finch says. "But it could be unrelated." "A freaky shadow monster appears and we find a magic circle in a secret underground room, and you think it's unrelated?" Leon asks incredulously. "I say we destroy it." Finch shrugs. "It's suspicious, but we have no idea what this is. I mean, for all we know, this is the only thing stopping more monsters from showing up. It could be here for our protection." "Right, because Starcrest is known for always prioritizing student safety," Leon says sarcastically. "What do you think, Saira?" "Me? I don't know anything about stuff like this," Saira says nervously. "Then I guess it's up to you, $playername," Finch says. "Should we destroy it, or leave it?" [[Destroy the circle.]] [[Leave the circle undisturbed.]]

"No. Fuck," she says, leaning her head against the door behind her. "Right. Sorry. Stupid question," I say. "I need to stop the bleeding. Take off my jacket and tie it around my side," she says. With effort and some agony, she turns so that her back faces me, and I gently ease her out of the cropped jacket. Then I tie it tightly around her torso. "We should try to get some help. Can you stand?" I say. "I think so," she says. "Can you help me?" "Yeah, of course," I say quickly. "Here, take my hand." She struggles to her feet, then stumbles. I reach out to catch her but accidentally grab the wound on her side, making her gasp. "Shit, I'm so sorry," I say. "Wait, it's..." she says, suddenly standing easier. "I don't feel it anymore." She carefully unties the jacket to reveal the wound, but it's gone. The skin is completely unbroken, with no trace of blood or shadow. All that's left to show that she was attacked is the tear in her shirt. "The creature vanished when it died," I say. "Maybe the wounds that it deals vanish too?" "Maybe," she says. Her expression gives me the sense that she's trying to figure out if there's more to me than I'm letting on. //Which, to be fair, there is.// Since the wound is gone, she puts her jacket back on. "We should still find a professor or...or emergency services, or someone," I say. "Yeah," she says. "OK. Let's go." She pauses. "I'm Katya, by the way." "I'm $playername," I say. "There could be more of them out there," Katya says. "And I'm all out of bullets. We have better chances if we stick together. That sound OK to you?" she asks. [["Yeah, of course."]] [["I'll take my chances on my own."]]

"Yeah, of course," you say quickly. "It would be stupid to split up. And...You did just save my life. Thank you for that, by the way." "Don't worry about it," Katya says with a weak smile. "I was just saving my own skin, and you happened to benefit. But I'll appreciate having a teammate from here on out." <center>END OF CHAPTER 1</center> <center>[[Character Profile Unlocked!->Katya Leskovic]]</center> (set: $KATYALOVE to $KATYALOVE+1)(set: $KATYAPROF to true)(if:(save-game:"Katya"))[Autosave successful!](else: )[Autosave failed.]

"Sorry, but I'll take my chances on my own," I say. Katya glares at me. "Are you serious? I just saved your life. I took out an entire fucking shadow monster. Well, you can go fuck yourself." She stalks off down the hallway. <center>END OF CHAPTER 1</center> <center>[[Replay?->Title Page]]</center> (set: $KATYALOVE to $KATYALOVE-25)(if:(save-game:"Katya"))[Autosave successful!](else: )[Autosave failed.]

I run down the stairs. "Are you okay?" I ask. "I'm alive," he says. "That's what matters." "Your arm," I say. "Yeah," he says. "It's not good. I need to stop the bleeding." He starts taking off his jacket, then starts unbuttoning his shirt. Thank God it's dark in here, because my face must be bright red. "What—what are you doing?" "Here, help me. Wrap it around my wound," he says. I feel light-headed but manage to hold it together. I take the shirt and wrap it tightly around his bleeding arm. But after a moment, he gives me a strange look. "Wait," he says. He unwraps the shirt, revealing unbroken skin. The wound is completely gone—not a trace of blood or shadow. "What the hell?" he says. "Did you do that?" "No," I say. He looks at me, and I can tell that he's making some silent assessment of me. "Weird. Well, I won't complain." He pauses. "I'm Zenith, by the way. Cringe name, I know. Blame my mother. And you are?" "$playername." He stands up. "We should get out of here. There could be more of those things. We should get help. Until then, mind if we stick together?" [["Sounds like a good idea."]] [["I'd rather not."]]

"Yeah, sounds like a good idea," I say, trying not to sound too excited or desperate. After seeing what he can do with a sword, I definitely want him on my side. And the only reason he wants me around is because he thinks I might have magic healing hands, and I have no idea if I actually do. "Relax," Zenith says with a confident smile, picking up on my nervousness. "I've killed one of them. I can kill more." <center>END OF CHAPTER 1</center> <center>[[Character Profile Unlocked!->Zenith Atónal]]</center> (set: $ZENITHLOVE to $ZENITHLOVE+1)(set: $ZENITHPROF to true)(if:(save-game:"Zenith"))[Autosave successful!](else: )[Autosave failed.]

Zenith shrugs his shoulders. "Your loss." He strides out of the library, leaving me to fend for myself. <center>END OF CHAPTER 1</center> <center>[[Replay?->Title Page]]</center> (if:(save-game:"Zenith"))[Autosave successful!](else: )[Autosave failed.]

//''Character Profile''// ''Katya Leskovic'' Gender: Woman Height: 5'8" Hair Color: Dirty blond Hair Length: Medium Eye Color: Violet Style: Punk but pretty Major: ??? Weapon: Semi-automatic pistol Notes: Everyone is afraid of her, but she doesn't seem like a bad person. <center>[[Restart Game->Title Page]]</center> <center>[[Continue to Chapter 2->Aftermath K]]</center>

//''Character Profile''// ''Zenith Atónal'' Gender: Man Height: 6'3" Hair Color: Black Hair Length: Medium short Eye Color: Brown Style: Business formal Major: ??? Weapon: Sword Notes: He's clearly very privileged, but I can't deny he rose to the challenge. <center>[[Restart Game->Title Page]]</center> <center>[[Continue to Chapter 2->Aftermath Z]]</center>

//''Character Profile''// ''Emilia'' Gender: Woman Height: 5'3" Hair Color: Chestnut brown Hair Length: Medium long Eye Color: Pink Style: Office chic Major: ??? Notes: A driven person with her own ideas about how things should be done. <center>[[Replay?->Title Page]]</center>

//''Character Profile''// ''Richter'' Gender: Man Height: 5'10" Hair Color: Navy blue Hair Length: Medium Eye Color: Ice blue Style: Well-dressed but not eye-catching Major: ??? Notes: He's intelligent and deep into his eccentric hobby, but he's actually a warm person when you talk to him. <center>[[Replay?->Title Page]]</center>

//''Character Profile''// ''Saira'' Gender: Woman Height: 5'2" Hair Color: Changes daily Hair Length: Long (for now) Eye Color: Changes daily (orange red at the moment) Style: 2010s clubbing with some extra personal flair Major: Hospitality Management Notes: She likes to have a good time, but she shouldn't be underestimated. <center>[[Replay?->Title Page]]</center>

//''Character Profile''// Leon Gender: Man Height: 5'9" Hair Color: Dark brown Hair Length: Shoulder length Eye Color: Violet Style: Bardcore/theater kid Major: ??? Notes: Seems like not much can faze his easygoing attitude, and he's unafraid to take action. <center>[[Replay?->Title Page]]</center>

//''Character Profile''// Finch Gender: Nonbinary Height: 5'6" Hair Color: Seafoam green Hair Length: Long Eye Color: Hazel Style: Athleticwear Major: ??? Notes: They seem to be a level-headed, chill person. <center>[[Replay?->Title Page]]</center>

//Where the hell am I?// One second everything was normal, and the next I'm...here. I'm in what appears to be an ordinary, well-lit school hallway, with classroom doors lining the walls and a generic linoleum tile floor. The plaque next to the room in front of me reads "Room 007." There's a handful of young adults walking around, a few entering the room. //Was I...teleported? No, that's crazy. Is this a dream?// I glance down to find a course schedule in my hand. ''Student Name: $playername 8:00-8:50pm - Introductory Studies - Stella Obscura Building - Room 007'' I glance up at the door in front of me. I...guess I'm in the right place? Nobody else seems to think anything strange is going on, so I doubt they'll be any help. Might as well play along for now. [[Enter the classroom.]]

"I'm staying here," I say. The brunette girl gives a pained look but turns and exits to the hallway. //Wonder if I'll ever see her again,// I think. The blue-haired boy and I quickly stack whatever we can find in front of the room's two doors. When there's nothing else we can possibly use, the two of us stand in the corner of the room and brace ourselves for what's coming. "So, what's this weapon of yours?" I ask. "It's my own invention," he says. "It combines mechanical parts with concentrated magical material in order to apply magical effects at a distance. Half gun, half spellcasting focus, if you will. The specific effects depend entirely on what I put into it. For example, with the right cocktail of compounds, I can stop someone's bleeding at fifty feet." "I never intended it to be used for combat," he continues. "So I don't have anything like bullets or poisons to load into it, although it's theoretically possible to do. Fortunately, I recently started working on a mix to produce pyrotechnics for entertainment purposes. I doubt the monster will enjoy taking fireworks to the face very much." "That's...incredible," I say. His cheeks turn red. "It's...just a passion project of mine. But thank you. I'm Richter, by the way." "$playername." "Sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances," he says, loading his weapon. I look around for anything you could use as a weapon, but there's nothing useful. [[I hear the monster's howls getting closer.]]

"I agree. I'm coming with you," I say. "Come with us," the girl urges him. He shakes his head. "I'm making my stand here, with or without you." "I hope you make it," she says. We turn and leave the room. "There has to be someone we can ask for help," the girl says. "The Research Assistant offices are this way. I think they're often here late." We desperately run from door to door, trying knobs and knocking on doors. Finally, one actually opens. The door opens just a crack as the person inspects us, then all the way. "Get in, quickly!" We rush inside and slam the door shut behind us. The person inside is none other than the pink-haired young woman I saw talking to the professor earlier, looking scared beyond belief. A small emergency lantern sits on her desk, giving a bit of light. "We've just come from Introductory Studies with Professor Darcere, some shadow monster appeared and turned off all the lights and knocked out the professor—" the brunette girl begins. The woman pales. "If the professor is unconscious...oh, this is so bad..." "I tried to warn him," she moans. "But would he listen to me? No, of course not. I'm just a Research Assistant, and he's the big, smart professor..." "Do you know what's happening?" the brunette girl asks. "More or less," the assistant responds. "My name is Rosette. I'm Professor Darcere's lead research assistant. He was researching dark energy. Specifically, how to concentrate it in order to use it as fuel. If such a thing could be done, a lot of people stood to make a lot of money. Problem is, concentrating dark energy can produce the type of malevolent shadow beings that you just saw. I tried to warn the professor that the safety measures we used were insufficient, but he was insistent that everything was fine." [["So what do we do now?"]] (set: $RICHTERLOVE to $RICHTERLOVE-1)

The monster smashes through the door and classroom furniture like it's nothing, sending shards of wood flying everywhere. It's an enormous, constantly shifting, amorphous body of shadow, with a face barely identifiable as three darker areas that must be its eyes and mouth. I can't help but scream. The monster lets out an awful shriek of its own. In that moment, Richter fires directly into its face, releasing an explosion of green sparks. The monster howls and staggers, giving Richter time to load and fire another cartridge, this time an explosion of shimmering gold. Some of the wood debris has caught fire, and so has the monster. As it thrashes in pain, I grab a chair and swing it into the creature's head, knocking it to the ground. It gives a final bitter squeal, then goes still. A moment later, the creature vanishes entirely, disappearing into wisps of shadow, leaving nothing behind. But there's no time to think about that right now. Now that the monster is dead, we need to put out this fire before it becomes a problem. I try to stomp out as many of the flames as possible, but Richter pushes me aside. "I've got something for this," he says. He loads his strange contraption once more and aims toward the fire, covering it in some thick smothering material. "Figured a fire extinguishing cartridge would be a good accessory to the firework one," he says, smiling. "Thanks," I say, thoroughly impressed. "Nice job knocking it out, by the way. How about we team up until this is all over?" he asks. [["Absolutely."]] [["Thanks, but I'll be going my own way from here on out."]]

"Yes, absolutely," I say. "I definitely don't want to face one of those things alone." "Me neither," he says. "Glad I don't have to." He smiles. <center>END OF CHAPTER 1</center> <center>[[Character Profile Unlocked!->Richter]]</center> (set: $RICHTERLOVE to $RICHTERLOVE+1)(set: $RICHTERPROF to true)(if:(save-game:"Richter"))[Autosave successful!](else: )[Autosave failed.]

"Thanks, but I'll be going my own way from here on out," I say. Richter looks at me skeptically. "As you like." <center>END OF CHAPTER 1</center> <center>[[Replay?->Title Page]]</center> (set: $RICHTERLOVE to $RICHTERLOVE-1)(if:(save-game:"Richter"))[Autosave successful!](else: )[Autosave failed.]

"We're somewhat safe here for the time being," Rosette says. "I've warded this room, but I don't know how long my wards will hold. I've never faced a shadow creature before. Professor Darcere could destroy it easily, but if he's unconscious..." "Is there anyone else who could help us?" the brunette girl asks. "There's no one else in this building at this time of night," Rosette says. "And even if there was, I can count the number of people qualified to handle this situation on one hand, and the closest lives across an ocean." "Well...surely there's something from your research that could help?" the brunette asks. "I..." Rosette thinks. "Well, the monster can be weakened through physical damage. Assuming none of us in this room have a weapon or combat expertise, I don't see how we'd be able to produce the necessary damage. But that aside, it can only be dispelled through an act of transmigratory magic. Essentially, it's not possible to kill the creature, but it can be sent back to the abyss dimension. But the ability to transport things between worlds...That type of magic is still far beyond my capabilities." //Between worlds...// "Why do you have that look on your face?" the brunette girl asks. "Do you know something about this? [[Confess the situation.]]

"I'm...actually not from this world," I say. "You can't be serious," the brunette girl says. "(if: $pronouns is "nb")[They](if: $pronouns is "fem")[She](if: $pronouns is "masc")[He] could be telling the truth," Rosette says. "The same rift in spacetime that allowed the creature to enter our dimension could have allowed...sorry, what's your name?" "$playername," I say. "$playername to cross into our world," Rosette says. "If what you're saying is true, we might actually have a fighting chance." "What do you mean?" asks the brunette girl. "Anyone who has recently traveled between worlds will be suffused with unstable energy. That chaos energy can be easily harnessed, even by a complete novice magician," Rosette explains. "Essentially, all you need to do is hit the creature with some object, anything at all will do, with the intention of defeating it. Your unstable energy will transfer through the object to the monster, sending it back to the abyss." Rosette frowns. "Unfortunately, we still lack a method to deal significant damage to the monster." "I might have a solution for that," the girl says. [[Listen.]]

"The creature is made of dark energy, right?" the girl asks. Rosette nods. "The same energy that causes the withering disease. The only known treatment for withering is cauterizing the affected body parts, because this stops the disease from spreading. So I'd be willing to bet that this creature is also weak to fire," the girl says. "You'd be correct about that," Rosette says. "But do you have a way to make fire?" The girl draws a small lighter from her pocket. "My mother has the withering," she says. "It spread too far before they caught it. Someday she'll die from it. That's why she insisted I carry a lighter on me at all times, so that if I ever notice it starting, I can stop it immediately." "What's your name, miss?" Rosette asks. "Emilia," she replies. "Emilia. $playername. You may have just saved all our lives," Rosette says. "It won't be easy, but we might be able to defeat this monster." [[Listen to Rosette's plan.]]

"Here's what we're going to do," Rosette says. "Emilia, you light whatever you can on fire and throw it at the monster. I'll try to hit it over the head with my desk chair. $playername, take that floor lamp and try to strike the monster. Once we've weakened it sufficiently, you'll need to deal the final blow." "So do we go find the monster? Or do we wait for it to come to us?" I ask. "That won't be an issue," Rosette says. "The monster is almost certainly seeking you. It's drawn to your unstable energy. My wards have been partially hiding you, but they must be fading by now. Which means..." As if on cue, we hear the monster's terrible screech. [[Brace yourself.]]

We each grab our makeshift weapon and prepare for what's about to happen. A second later, the monster smashes through the office door, sending shards of wood and glass everywhere. It's an enormous, constantly shifting, amorphous body of shadow, with a face barely identifiable as three darker areas that must be its eyes and mouth. Emilia begins pelting it with flaming balls of crumpled paper, while Rosette and I run up to it and attack it from either side. For a while, we seem to be keeping it under control; I guess it wasn't expecting an ambush. "I'm running out of stuff to throw!" Emilia yells. "The desk drawers, there are more papers!" Rosette yells back. Emilia opens the top drawer, pulls out a thick manuscript and begins tearing it to shreds. "There goes my dissertation draft," Rosette bemoans, but she keeps fighting. Suddenly, the monster roars and throws her to the wall. Rosette groans. I smash its head with the top of the lamp, and it howls again. By now, Emilia's efforts are starting to pay off, and the fire starts snaking its way across the monster's body. It must have noticed that Emilia is responsible for the fire, because it shakes me to the side and sweeps over to her. It raises a shadowy appendage that manifests into a brutal claw and slashes her across the face. Emilia screams as blood trickles down her face. "Emilia!" I yell. Rosette summons her strength and rushes the monster, slamming the chair into its side and pushing it away from Emilia onto the ground. "$playername, finish it!" Rosette yells. I swing wildly with the lamp, hitting the monster again and again. Its screeches become weaker and weaker until finally it goes still. A moment later, it vanishes into wisps of shadow, leaving no trace. [[Check on Emilia.]]

I rush over to Emilia. Blood is running down her face, and so are tears, her eyes pressed tightly closed. What's more, there are wisps of black shadow clinging to the wound. Rosette comes up behind me and hands me a handkerchief from her pocket. "Here, use this to stop the bleeding." I take the handkerchief and press it to Emilia's face. Emilia flinches at first, then suddenly opens her eyes and gives me a strange look. "Move your hand," she says. "I'm sorry, does it hurt?" I ask. "No, that's what's weird," she says. "It doesn't hurt at all." I take the handkerchief away. It's stained with Emilia's blood, but her face is completely unscathed. Nothing but unbroken skin, not a trace of blood or shadow. "How did you do that?" Emilia asks. "I didn't," I say, just as surprised as she is. "Fascinating," Rosette says. "The same phenomenon that allows you to dispel shadow creatures must also allow you to cleanse their wounds. I'd love to do some tests on you to find out more, ah, with your consent, of course." She seems to check herself, turning her attention back to the situation. "Of course, right now the most important thing is to ensure that everyone is safe. Fortunately, knowing what I know about the professor's experiments, I can say that they're unlikely to have produced more than one shadow creature. So all that's left to do now is go check up on everyone and ensure that they get any medical care needed. "I can take care of the professor and the other students. I'm sure the two of you are exhausted, so why don't you head back to your dorm rooms?" "Are you sure you can handle this alone?" Emilia asks. "Not to worry, I'll be quite okay," Rosette says. "At least I can look forward to a nice 'I told you so' when the professor regains consciousness. You two go home and get some rest." "Thank you," Emilia says. "Stay safe." "Thank you, Rosette," I say. "No, thank you," Rosette says. "I would have been finished without you two. Ah, $playername? Would you mind escorting Emilia back to her dorm, actually? You seem to have healed her, but I think it would be a good idea if she wasn't alone right now." [["Of course."]]

"Of course, I'll make sure she gets back safe," I say. Emilia smiles. "Thank you." "Good night," Rosette says. Emilia and I leave through the (now-smashed) office door and exit the building. An autumn wind rushes by, making us both shiver, but the stars overhead are beautiful. <center>END OF CHAPTER 1</center> <center>[[Character Profile Unlocked!->Emilia]]</center> (set: $EMILIALOVE to $EMILIALOVE+1)(set: $EMILIAPROF to true)(if:(save-game:"Emilia"))[Autosave successful!](else: )[Autosave failed.]

Rosette looks at me dumbfounded, and Emilia gives me a nasty look. "I see," Rosette says. "Well, in that case, you go home. Emilia, you can wait here in my office until I've finished up here. I'll escort you back after that." As I turn to leave, I can feel their disapproving gazes on my back. <center>END OF CHAPTER 1</center> <center>[[Replay?->Title Page]]</center> (set: $EMILIALOVE to $EMILIALOVE-1)(if:(save-game:"Emilia"))[Autosave successful!](else: )[Autosave failed.]

"I say we destroy it," I say. Leon nods approvingly, then immediately starts kicking the salt, breaking up the circle into a grainy mess. We wait a moment to see if there's any effect. At first, nothing seems to happen. But a few seconds later, we hear a blood-curdling screech from above us. "Shit. The monster," Leon says. Finch frowns. "What do we do?" Saira asks, panicking. We all look around the room for an exit, but there doesn't seem to be one. We run past the magic circle to the far corner of the room, trying not to trip over each other, but in our haste end up slamming into the stone wall... ...At least, that's what should have happened, but instead we end up tumbling right //through// the wall to another room on the other side, once more ending up in a pile on top of each other on the floor. We stand up and try to get our bearings. "Fuck," Finch says suddenly, backing up into me. "What?" I ask. "Oh, fuck," Leon says. We're standing on a small platform surrounded by a seemingly endless chasm on three sides. There's nothing but darkness as far as the eye can see. Toward the end of the platform is a large lever. We hear the monster howl again. "That has to be the lever for a drawbridge or something, right?" Leon says. "We have to get out of here!" He pulls the lever, and we hear the sound of some ancient mechanism grinding to life. But it's not a bridge. Instead, the end of the platform that we're on begins to split into three sections, carrying off Saira, Leon, and Finch in three different directions into the dark. I need to choose which moving platform to get on, quickly. [[Step onto the platform moving left, with Saira.]] [[Step onto the platform moving forward, with Leon.]] [[Step onto the platform moving right, with Finch.]] (set: $LEONLOVE to $LEONLOVE+1) (set: $FINCHLOVE to $FINCHLOVE-1)

"I say we leave it alone," I say. "Better not to mess with things we don't understand." Finch nods approvingly. "Tsk," says Leon, but leaves the circle alone. There's not really anything else in the room other than the magic circle, just undecorated stone walls and floor. We fan out and search the edges of the room for anything of note. "Hey guys," Leon says from the far corner. "Look." He waves his hand, and it goes straight through the stone wall. "A false wall," Finch says. [[Go through the false wall.]] (set: $FINCHLOVE to $FINCHLOVE+1) (set: $LEONLOVE to $LEONLOVE-1)

We find ourselves on a small platform surrounded by a seemingly endless chasm on three sides. There's nothing but darkness as far as the eye can see. Toward the end of the platform is a large lever. Leon goes up to end of the platform to investigate. "I can't see anything," he says. He looks at the lever. "This must be for some kind of drawbridge or something, right?" he says. Just then, we hear the monster howl. It's muffled—it must still be upstairs, but for all we know, it could be coming our way any second. "Well, no time like the present," Leon says. He pulls the lever, and we hear the sound of some ancient mechanism grinding to life. But it's not a bridge. Instead, the end of the platform that we're on begins to split into three sections, carrying off Saira, Leon, and Finch in three different directions into the dark. I need to choose which moving platform to get on, quickly. [[Step onto the platform moving left, with Saira.]] [[Step onto the platform moving forward, with Leon.]] [[Step onto the platform moving right, with Finch.]]

I quickly step onto the left platform, joining Saira. Saira immediately clings tightly onto me. The platform isn't moving super fast, but the thought of falling is pretty terrifying. We journey together through complete darkness until finally the platform grinds to a halt. It sounds like it connected with something, but I can't see a thing. "What do we do now?" Saira asks nervously. I reach out a tentative foot toward the edge of the platform and find there is indeed another surface in front of us. "It feels like there's something here, but I can't see anything. You don't have anything that we could use as a light, do you?" "Um..." Saira says. "Wait! I think I have something actually." I hear her rummaging through her bag, then unscrewing something. A moment later, the darkness is suddenly flooded with light and color. Saira's hair is glowing. Not only that, but it's fading in and out of different colors, seemingly on rotation. "Just a simple glamor charm," she says. "Storebought, but it goes pretty hard at the club." I can't help but laugh a little at the absurdity. "There's no way to turn off the color changing, is there?" I ask. "No, sorry," Saira says sheepishly. "It's fine," I say quickly. "It still helps a lot to have the light." With the light from Saira's hair, we can see what appears to be an unobstructed passageway going forward. [[Enter the passageway.]] (set: $SAIRALOVE to $SAIRALOVE+1)

I quickly step onto the platform moving forward, joining Leon. Together, we continue onward into the darkness. <center>END OF CHAPTER 1</center> <center>[[Character Profile Unlocked!->Leon]]</center> (set: $LEONLOVE to $LEONLOVE+1)(set: $LEONPROF to true)(if:(save-game:"Leon"))[Autosave successful!](else: )[Autosave failed.]

I quickly step onto the right platform, joining Finch. Together, we continue onward into the darkness. <center>END OF CHAPTER 1</center> <center>[[Character Profile Unlocked!->Finch]]</center> (set: $FINCHLOVE to $FINCHLOVE+1)(set: $FINCHPROF to true)(if:(save-game:"Finch"))[Autosave successful!](else: )[Autosave failed.]

We step off the platform and enter the passageway. "We should stay close together and take it slow," I say. "Even with light, it could be dangerous." Saira nods. "Um...Could we hold hands?" she asks. "Of course," I say, taking her hand. We move slowly through the corridor. I can hear Saira breathing hard. "Hey," I say. "Are you okay?" "Just...scared," she says. "It's pretty terrifying," I say. "But don't worry, okay? We'll get through this." "Okay," she says. "Maybe we should talk about something else to distract ourselves," I say. "Like, I don't know...What's your major?" "I'm in Hospitality," she says. "That's so cool," I say. "I've never met someone in Hospitality before. What made you want to choose it?" "Well, I like throwing parties," she says. "So I thought, why not do that as my career? I mean, I always get compliments whenever I host, so I must be pretty good at it. And I'm not good at that many things, so..." "I'm sure that's not true," I say. "Well, I don't do that well in most of my classes," she says. "School isn't everything," I say. "Looks like this hallway is coming to an end up there. Wonder where that doorway leads." [[Go through the doorway.]]

The passageway that we were in opens up to a cavernous space like the one that we were in before. Torches lined along the right wall flare to life, seemingly activated by our presence. The hallway turns into a walkway with a wall on the right side and a chasm on the left. What's more, the walkway ahead is damaged, with only a small section against the wall still intact for a couple feet. It's wide enough to cross, but we'll need to go single file and probably hug the wall as we do. I look back at Saira, who looks petrified. "Hey, it's okay," I say. "You can do this. I'll go first, and then you can reach out for my hand if you need to, okay?" Saira nods. "Okay." I shuffle carefully across the gap, then turn and offer my hand to Saira. "See? No problem." Saira hesitates, then slowly begins shuffling across. When she gets close enough, she eagerly takes my hand and steps onto the other side. "Thank you," she says. "Of course," I say. We continue walking across the walkway. "By the way, do you have any other charms or spells?" I ask. "They might come in handy." "Not really," she says. "I can't really do magic on my own. I just buy simple charms from time to time when I can afford it. The most magic I've done myself is summoning a cute puppy spirit familiar to play with." [[The monster's howl echoes through the cavern.]]

Saira screams and grabs onto me. The monster screeches again, and it's clear that it's getting closer. "Stay calm," I say. "Saira. Do you think you could manifest something other than a puppy? Like maybe a big, scary dog?" "I don't know. Maybe. I could try?" she says, her eyes panicked. "Try," I say. "Try to summon the biggest, fiercest dog you can think of." She nods and steadies herself. She puts her left hand out in front of her and her right hand on her necklace and closes her eyes. In front of her, an ethereal creature gradually takes form from wisps of orange glowing ether. It looks a bit like a German shepherd but at least twice the ordinary size. And not a moment too soon, because the monster comes racing through the doorway. It's a constantly shifting, amorphous cloud of shadow, but I can make out a few darker spots that must be its eyes and mouth. It jumps the small gap that we just crossed with ease, but Saira's familiar lunges for it, biting it viciously. The monster gives another terrible, screeching howl, making Saira and I cringe and cover our ears. The monster grabs the dog and throw it brutally into the wall, then lunges for Saira. "$playername!" she screams. Her familiar recovers and begins attacking the monster again, pushing it toward the edge, but the monster has Saira in its grasp. If it falls, they'll both be swallowed by the darkness. I run up and grab Saira's forearm, yanking her away from the edge, then give the monster a solid kick to the face, pushing it over the edge into the abyss below. It screams sound farther and farther away as it falls to the bottom of what must be an incredibly long drop. "Are you okay?" I ask. Saira looks at her arm. "I could have sworn it hurt me," she says. "But I don't see anything anymore." "Strange," I say. "But I'm glad you're okay." Saira looks at me, and it's as if everything that just happened hits her all at once. Her eyes fill with tears, and she throws her arms around me. "Thank you," she murmurs. "It's okay, it's okay," I say, gently rubbing her back. She lets go of me. "You were amazing, you know," I say. "Thank you," she says, blushing. "You were, too." "We should keep going," I say. "Hopefully we can eventually find a way out of this creepy underground complex and get to safety." Saira nods. "Okay. Let's go." She offers her hand, and I take it. Together, we continue onward into the darkness. <center>END OF CHAPTER 1</center> <center>[[Character Profile Unlocked!->Saira]]</center> (set: $SAIRAPROF to true)(if:(save-game:"Saira"))[Autosave successful!](else: )[Autosave failed.]

"Maybe we should go back and try to rouse the professor," I say. "He might be able to help." Zenith nods. "Let's go." He keeps his sword at the ready, but we don't encounter anything else dangerous or unusual on our way back to Room 007. The door to the classroom is ajar. Zenith goes first, both hands on his sword as he carefully pushes the door open with his side. [[Follow him into the room.]]

We exit the building into the autumn night. There's a biting wind that sends a shiver through me, but the stars overhead are beautiful. We walk in silence to the residence hall. Once we get there, he suddenly turns to me. "Thank you," he says. "For your help tonight." "Thank you," I say quickly, my cheeks feeling hot. "You did most of the work." "True," he says, smiling. "But I'm still glad I wasn't alone. Well, good night." "Good night," I say. He leaves for his dorm room. I go to talk to the front desk to see if they can give me my room number and keys, since I guess I go to this school now. And just like before, everything seems to be in order. //At this point, maybe I should just accept that I've been isekai'd.// I take my keys and retire to my room. [[Sleep.]]

I awaken the next day and check out my surroundings. I didn't have much time to look around last night. I'm in a small, undecorated, but overall inoffensive college dorm room. There's a desk, a chair, a dresser, and a closet with a full-length mirror. There's a digital clock on the desk. ''TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1ST 8:53AM'' There are clean clothes in the dresser, so I get dressed. I hear a knock at the door. [[Answer the door.]]

It's Zenith. For some reason, seeing him at my door makes my heart race. "Hey," I say, trying to sound casual. "We've been summoned to the dean's office," he says. "What? Are we in trouble?" I ask. "I don't know," he says. "But probably not. They probably just want to find out what we know about what happened last night." [[Follow him to the dean's office.]]

We enter the dean's office. Inside, an older man sits behind a desk; that must be the dean. But I barely notice him, because the woman standing in front of his desk is the type of person to attract all eyes in a room. She's tall, probably just shy of six feet, wearing an expensive-looking black skirt suit and four-inch stilettos. Her hair is jet black, tucked into a neat chignon. Her cheekbones could cut glass, and her expression is livid. "What the hell were you thinking, Zenith?" she demands angrily. "Mom? What are you doing here?" Zenith asks. He looks at the dean. "You called my mother?" "No, Ms. Atónal came of her own volition," the dean says, careful to conceal any feelings he might have about this action. "It seems she heard about what happened and was concerned. And, of course, we wouldn't stand between a concerned parent and their child." "Honestly, trying to play the hero and fight some shadow monster," she says disapprovingly. "I do apologize on his behalf, Dean Sirius." "Let me reassure you that your son is not in any trouble, Ms. Atónal," the dean says. "We simply want to know what happened last night, and these two students are key witnesses." He looks back at Zenith and me. "Please, sit." [[Sit down.]]

<center>[[Title Page]]</center> <center>[[New Game->Enter Name]]</center> <center>[[Load Game->Saved Games]]</center> <center>[[About This Game]]</center>

One save file can be created per character route. The game will be saved automatically at the end of each chapter. Starting a new game of a previously played character route will replace the previous save. Game saves are stored as cookies in the user's browser. If cookies cannot be stored for some reason, game saves will fail. Clearing cookies will delete all saves. <center>''Saved Games''</center> {(if: (saved-games: ) contains "Katya")[ (link: "Katya")[(load-game:"Katya")] ](else:)[???]} {(if: (saved-games: ) contains "Zenith")[ (link: "Zenith")[(load-game:"Zenith")] ](else:)[???]} {(if: (saved-games: ) contains "Richter")[ (link: "Richter")[(load-game:"Richter")] ](else:)[???]} {(if: (saved-games: ) contains "Emilia")[ (link: "Emilia")[(load-game:"Emilia")] ](else:)[???]} {(if: (saved-games: ) contains "Saira")[ (link: "Saira")[(load-game:"Saira")] ](else:)[???]} {(if: (saved-games: ) contains "Leon")[ (link: "Leon")[(load-game:"Leon")] ](else:)[???]} {(if: (saved-games: ) contains "Finch")[ (link: "Finch")[(load-game:"Finch")] ](else:)[???]} <center>[[Return to Main Menu->Main Menu]]</center>

//Starcrest University// is a fantasy romance interactive fiction game. The player character name and pronouns can be customized. There are seven romanceable characters: three women, three men, and one nonbinary person. This game is currently in development. This is the most recent publicly available version of the game. As this is merely a passion project that I'm pursuing as a hobby, I can't make any promises about if or when the game will be completed, but I hope that you enjoy what I've done so far! [[Click here to view content warnings (may contain spoilers).]] This game does not contain sexually explicit material. Twine Version 2.9.0.0 Story Format Harlowe 3.3.9 Last Updated: 02/25/2026 © 2026 Radiant Realities [[Return to Main Menu->Main Menu]]

Zenith and I sit down in the two closest chairs in front of the dean's desk, and Ms. Atónal sits down in the third. The dean clears his throat. "Thank you both for coming. Now, if you please, I would appreciate if you could summarize the events of last night from your perspective." Zenith and I exchange glances. I decide to let him do the talking for now. "We were in Introductory Studies in the Stella Obscura Building," he begins. "Class had just started when suddenly we heard a weird sound, like some kind of scream. Not a human scream, something inhuman. All the lights went out. Something attacked the professor, and everything fell into chaos. We ran out of the room, but the monster followed us to the library. I had my sword with me, so I was able to fight it with $playername's help. After we killed it, its body vanished. We went back to the classroom and woke up Professor Darcere, who was unconscious, and he told us to go home, so we did." "$playername? Would you agree with that recounting of events?" the dean asks. I nod. "Yes, that's pretty much what happened." "Pretty much?" cuts in Ms. Atónal. "Did anything else happen?" Zenith gives me a look, and I swear I see his head shake almost imperceptibly. [[Tell her the truth about being isekai'd and healing Zenith's wound.]] [[Keep your secrets to yourself.]]

"Well, actually..." I start. Zenith's eyes narrow, but I ignore him. "There's something I've been meaning to ask about," I say. "Um...I know this is going to sound crazy, but...I don't think I'm supposed to be here. I'm not from this world." Ms. Atónal blinks and frowns. "Is this some kind of joke?" "I swear, I'm telling the truth," I say. "I was living my normal life and then I just sort of appeared in this world, right before that class started." "In other words, right before the attack," Ms. Atónal says. "Well...yes," I say uncomfortably, starting to regret my decision to share. "But I promise I had nothing to do with that!" "Dean, is there any possibility that what (if: $pronouns is "nb")[they're saying](if: $pronouns is "fem")[she's saying](if: $pronouns is "masc")[he's saying] could be true?" Ms. Atónal asks. "Well, it is...possible," Dean Sirius says. "Our preliminary investigations suggest that the monster was composed of dark energy. Dark energy is destabilizing, so it is possible that the same conditions that formed the monster created a spacetime rift that transported $playername. Is there anything else you can tell us, $playername?" "There is one thing," I say hesitantly. "The monster injured Zenith, but after I touched his wound, it healed. I didn't do it intentionally but...it seems too weird to be a coincidence." "Dean?" Ms. Atónal inquires. "It is possible," he says, shrugging. "If $playername truly is from another world, their energy is also unstable. It may have somehow counteracted the monster's effects." Ms. Atónal's eyes light up with interest, but the expression suddenly shifts to a hostile and businesslike manner. "Dean, I must insist that $playername is immediately detained for further research," she says. "It's obvious that (if: $pronouns is "nb")[their](if: $pronouns is "fem")[her](if: $pronouns is "masc")[his] appearance in this world is connected to the monster attack. It would be unwise to allow (if: $pronouns is "nb")[them](if: $pronouns is "fem")[her](if: $pronouns is "masc")[him] to continue running around unsupervised. I recommend immediate transportation to Professor Darcere's lab." "Well, I..." the dean hesitates. "I take your point, Ms. Atónal, but I'm a dean, not a police officer. It's not within my authority to detain anyone. If you wish to pursue that route, we would need to involve the proper legal authorities. That said, if $playername wished to cooperate with our research, they are free to do so." "Very well," Ms. Atónal says. "Then it's up to you, $playername. Would you like to go to the police, or to a lab for further testing? I assure you, however, that it's in your best interest to participate in the research. After all, we are the only ones who could possibly understand your condition. We may even be able to devise a way to return you to your home, eventually." [["I'll turn myself in to the police."]] [["I'll participate in the research."]]

"No, that's all," I say quickly. Ms. Atónal looks at me with suspicion but says nothing. "Thank you both for your testimony," the dean says. "As well as your incredible bravery in facing this threat to our campus. Professor Darcere will continue to investigate this matter, with assistance from myself as necessary. For now, I would like to reassure all of you that the chances of a repeat attack are very, very low. Zenith, $playername, I apologize for this unwanted interruption to your academic experience, but I encourage you to focus on your studies." Zenith nods. "Thank you," I say. "You're both dismissed," the dean says. "And thank you for your concern, Ms. Atónal. Take care." As soon as we step outside the dean's office, Ms. Atónal grabs her son roughly by the shoulder and forces him to face her. "I shouldn't have to remind you that your actions reflect on our company image," Ms. Atónal says curtly. Zenith looks at her incredulously. "Since when is killing monsters and saving other students bad PR?" "Monster. Singular," Ms. Atónal corrects sharply. "There could have been more, and you could have been killed. I've paid for your little swordsmanship classes out of the goodness of my heart, because it makes you happy, and the exercise is good for you. But if you let these childish fantasies of being some knight-in-shining-armor get the better of you, I will not hesitate to pull the plug. Am I understood?" Zenith grits his teeth and averts his eyes but accedes. "Understood. I'm sorry, Mom." She turns and walks down the hallway and out the door without giving her son a second glance. Following behind her, we watch her get into a sleek, spotlessly white sportscar and drive away. [["Wow, your mom fucking sucks."]]

"I'll go to the police," I say. Ms. Atónal sighs. "Oh, very well. I don't know what you expect them to do." The dean reluctantly dials emergency services and explains the situation. Shortly thereafter, a uniformed officer appears. After Dean Sirius and Ms. Atónal explain the situation, he only seems more confused. "The police are not your personal prison wardens," the officer says. "Unless you have evidence that this person committed a crime, I can't detain (if: $pronouns is "nb")[them](if: $pronouns is "fem")[her](if: $pronouns is "masc")[him]." "(if: $pronouns is "nb")[They are](if: $pronouns is "fem")[She is](if: $pronouns is "masc")[He is] suspected of involvement in the summoning of a monster that attacked a professor and several students," Ms. Atónal says. "$playername helped me kill the monster!" Zenith protests. The officer looks around uncertainly. "Call your superior officer and tell them this has been called in by Erika Atónal," Ms. Atónal says. The officer nods, leaves the room, and returns a few minutes later. "This is an unusual situation," he says. "We have no particular protocol for this. But if this person poses a substantial danger to the public, it's our duty to contain them." He looks at me. "If you'll come with me." My heart is sinking further and further into my stomach. I glance back at Zenith, who isn't even looking at me. His expression is difficult to place, but he seems...distant. I follow the officer to their car. [[Get in the police car.]]

"I'll cooperate with the research," I say. "I want to figure out how to get home." "A wise decision," Ms. Atónal says. "I can personally escort you to Professor Darcere's lab." "Are you sure, Ms. Atónal?" Dean Sirius asks. "You did seem quite concerned about safety..." "I'll be all right, Dean," Ms. Atónal says. "I doubt $playername is about to explode just yet." "As you wish," the dean says, shrugging. "Then Ms. Atónal, I'll entrust $playername to you. And Zenith, you're free to go." Zenith eyes me with a strange look as I leave the room. I follow his mother back to the Stella Obscura Building. She leads me to Professor Darcere's office. After we enter the room, Ms. Atónal walks over to the professor at his desk, and the two exchange words in low voices, as if I'm not even there. The professor rises from his seat and pulls a book on the bookshelf behind him, triggering a secret door. "I'm trusting you, Professor," Ms. Atónal says, her voice laced with a hint of threat. "Do not disappoint me again." "Of course, Ms. Atónal," he replies nervously. "Your support as our most generous donor is invaluable." Ms. Atónal leaves the room, letting the door slam shut behind her. "Come with me, $playername," Professor Darcere says. "There's much to do." <center>''//The End... or the beginning of something terrible.//''</center> <center>[[Replay?->Title Page]]</center>

The officer escorts me to a small, barren jail cell. "This isn't permanent," he says. "We'll need to determine a long-term solution, but this is where you'll be for now." Several days pass with little or no information coming my way. Seems like a lot of arguing amongst the police and bureaucracy about what to do with little decisiveness. One day, I get a visitor—none other than Ms. Erika Atónal. "So," she says. "Are you ready to cooperate now?" <center>''//The End... or the beginning of something terrible.//''</center> <center>[[Replay?->Title Page]]</center>

"Wow, your mom fucking sucks," I say, as we walk through campus. Zenith choke-laughs. "Yeah. Yeah, she does," he says. He looks away. "You don't know the half of it." "Hey, uh..." I say. "I don't know if this is stupid to say, but...What you did last night was really amazing. //You// were amazing. And if your mom can't see that, fuck her." "Thanks," he says. "I just thought...I thought for half a second that maybe this would be something that she couldn't twist into a failure. She's never approved of me studying swordplay, thinks I should be spending all my time taking business classes and schmoozing with rich clients. I am her heir, after all. But then all of a sudden this opportunity comes, heaven-sent, for me to save the day. Maybe it's fucked up, but I was a little happy to see that monster. Because it meant I had a chance to prove myself." He kicks a pile of rocks by the side of the path. "But of course she always finds a way to make me feel like a fuck-up." "She's insane," I assure him. "You are the furthest possible thing from a fuck-up." "You don't know me," he says with a dry smile. "But thanks anyway. Speaking of not knowing things, though...You looked like you were about to say something back there, then changed your mind. You don't have to tell me, but..." He trails off, shrugging. "Oh, well..." I hesitate. "Promise you won't think I'm crazy?" "A shadow monster appeared out of nowhere and decked our professor last night. I'm open-minded to possibilities right now," he says. "Right. OK." [[Tell him the truth.]] (set: $ZENITHLOVE to $ZENITHLOVE+1)

"I'm not from this world," I say. "I just kind of appeared outside that classroom door right before class started. I didn't know what to do, so I just went along with it like any other student. Then everything happened, and we killed the monster, but...I'm still here. And that's all I know." Zenith considers this information. "If you're not from here, where are you from?" "I don't really know how to answer that question," I respond. "But I know that where I come from, there aren't any monsters or magic or anything like that." "This must all be pretty fucking terrifying for you then," he says. "Is it...not for you?" I ask. He laughs. "I mean, yeah, it is. Having a monster spawn in your late-night intro class isn't normal here either. But it's not like people don't know they exist. They're actually pretty common around dark energy deposits." "Dark energy deposits?" I ask. "Right, you wouldn't know what that is," he says. "I'm not an expert, but basically they're like...energy in solid form. Dark energy is particularly dense and powerful, making it useful for anything from powering machinery to doing alchemy. But it's unstable, making it dangerous to work with. It's also somewhat taboo, or at least used to be. Some of our religious texts forbid its use, but religion is kind of dying out anyway. And it also attracts monsters. Or, can form into monsters? We don't exactly know how that works, to be honest." "Is there a dark energy deposit nearby?" I ask. "No," he says. "That's what's so weird about all this." He pauses, thinking. "If the dean didn't call my mom, how did she know something had happened? And when she drove off...she turned right, going further into campus, not left, to the highway that goes to the company office." He picks up his pace. "Something isn't right. Follow me." <center>END OF CHAPTER 2</center> <center>Chapter 3 is still under construction!</center> <center>[[Replay?->Title Page]]</center> (if:(save-game:"Zenith"))[Autosave successful!](else: )[Autosave failed.]

<center>Chapter 3 is still under construction!</center> <center>[[Replay?->Title Page]]</center>

Content Warnings (not an exhaustive list, please use your discretion): mild horror elements, fantasy violence, profanity, toxic family dynamics, past psychological trauma [[Back->About This Game]]

"We should head back to the classroom. I have another clip in my bag there," Katya says. "Plus, maybe the professor can help us. If he's still alive." "Sounds good," I say. I'm happy to let Katya take the lead. She keeps her pistol in hand in front of her. Given how the last fight went, I don't like to think about how the next fight will go with an unloaded gun as our only weapon, but it's better than nothing. We creep carefully down the hallway. Fortunately, we don't encounter any trouble on our way to the classroom. The classroom door is ajar. Katya goes first, gently pushing the door open and checking for anything dangerous. She must think the coast is clear, because she proceeds into the room. [[Follow her into the room.]]

We both enter the room, closing the door behind us. The small teal flame is still lit on the professor's desk, and the professor is still lying on the floor behind the desk. All of the students appear to have fled. Katya heads straight for her chair, grabs her bag, and quickly reloads her gun. She flicks the safety and stows it in the bag, then walks over to the professor and kneels down next to him. I kneel down next to her. The professor is out cold, but otherwise doesn't seem injured. "Professor," she says, gently shaking his shoulder. "Professor, can you hear me?" Darcere stirs. "Ugh," he groans. "My head..." He opens his eyes. "What happened?" "You were attacked by a monster and knocked unconscious," I say. "Actually, we were hoping you might know what's going on." The professor blinks at me, then shakes his head. "No, I...I'm afraid I have no idea what caused this monster to appear," he says. "Well, it seems to be gone now. We saw it vanish," Katya says. "But do you think there could be more out there?" The professor seems to consider the question. "A monster like that...It must be some type of shadow creature. It can only manifest from the presence of dark energy. I doubt there's enough dark energy nearby to manifest a second one...though, then again, I have no idea how the first one managed to appear either..." Katya seems to be resisting the urge to roll her eyes. The professor seems too distracted to notice. "Well, in my professional opinion, there's unlikely to be another," Darcere says. "If the one that you saw is gone, I would advise the two of you to return to your dorm rooms. I'll investigate further here to determine the cause of the attack and ensure that the building is secured." //Dorm room...do I have one of those?// "Um, Professor," I say. "Sorry, but I'm not sure where my dorm room is, actually..." "Oh, of course," he says. "I would have thought they would have covered that in your orientation, but someone must have slipped up. Well, all first year students are housed in Stella Iuvenis Hall, so you should both make your way there." "Thank you," I say. [[Leave the classroom.]]

Katya is quick to draw her gun again once we're out of range of the professor's eyes and possible questions. "Better safe than sorry," she says. We walk out of the building and into the cool autumn night. There's a biting wind that sends a shiver through me, but the stars overhead are beautiful. We walk in anxious silence to the residence hall. When we get there, Katya stops. "Aren't you coming inside?" I ask. "I...need a smoke," she says. [[Ask to join her.]] [[Let her go.]]

"Would you mind some company?" I ask. "I don't know if it's safe to be alone right now." Katya seems conflicted but ultimately accedes. "You're right. That would have been stupid. I'd be glad to have your company." I follow Katya into the woods behind the residence hall. We walk for a bit, in silence other than the quiet crunch of our steps crushing brush and leaves underfoot, until we reach a small clearing. I can see the moon shining bright above the trees. It must be full or almost full tonight. Katya puts her gun back in her bag and takes out a cigarette and a lighter. As she puts the cigarette between her lips and flicks the lighter, I notice that her hands are trembling. She takes a long drag on the cigarette, then exhales. If it helped calm her down, it's not obvious, because she seems to be shaking more than ever. She's staring straight ahead at nothing in particular. I can't exactly read her expression, but she doesn't look happy. [[Put a hand on her back to comfort her.]] [[Ask her if she's okay.]] (set: $KATYALOVE to $KATYALOVE+1)

It seems like she wants to be alone, and I don't feel like I know her well enough to press the issue. "OK," I say. "Well...Good night, I guess. And thank you, again. For saving my life." Katya nods, her mind clearly somewhere else. "Good night." <center>Chapter 2 is still under construction!</center> <center>[[Replay?->Title Page]]</center> (set: $KATYALOVE to $KATYALOVE-0.5)

I reach out a hand and place it gently on her back to try to steady her. She jumps, startled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," I say. "No, it's...it's okay," she says. "I'm just on edge. It was...nice." I tentatively put my hand back on her back, and she seems to visibly relax. "Thanks," she says. "This whole thing has just been...a lot." She takes another puff of the cigarette. "I just thought things would be different here. I mean, I can't escape my reputation, I expected that. But I just thought maybe I could finally have kind of a normal life, at least until..." She looks at me. "Sorry, you don't know me. I shouldn't be telling you all this." "I don't mind listening if you want to talk," I say. "Thank you," she says with a small smile. She looks away again. "Sometimes I just feel so trapped. Like no matter what I do, I'm doomed to live a life that I don't want to live." "I don't know you," I say. "I don't know what you're going through. But I saw how you handled that monster tonight. You were fucking incredible, Katya. You never hesitated or backed down, even when a shadow monster showed up out of nowhere and took a chunk out of your side. So whatever it is that you want out of life...I believe you can get it." Katya says nothing, not meeting my gaze. Then I hear her quietly sniffle, and I realize she must be crying. "Thank you," she says quietly. "I'm just telling the truth," I say. The moonlight makes her blond hair seem to glow with a cold white light and her tears sparkle on her face. She looks beautiful and deeply troubled. I wonder what she's thinking about, but I decide it's best not to ask. All I can think about is how much I wish I could take away the pain that I see on her face right now. We don't say anything after that, but the silence is comfortable instead of anxious now. We stand there together, peacefully, absorbing the moonlight and listening to the rustling sounds of the forest at night, until the autumn cold finally urges us into the residence hall. <center>END OF CHAPTER 2</center> <center>Chapter 3 is still under construction!</center> <center>[[Replay?->Title Page]]</center> (set: $KATYALOVE to $KATYALOVE+2)(if:(save-game:"Katya"))[Autosave successful!](else: )[Autosave failed.]

"Are you okay?" I ask. "Yeah, I..." she says, trying to collect herself. "Sorry. This whole thing has just been...a lot." She takes another puff of the cigarette. "I just thought things would be different here. I mean, I can't escape my reputation, I expected that. But I just thought maybe I could finally have kind of a normal life, at least until..." Her voice is shaking. She looks at me. "Sorry, you don't know me. I shouldn't be telling you all this." "I don't mind listening if you want to talk," I say. "Thank you," she says with a small smile. She looks away again. "Sometimes I just feel so trapped. Like no matter what I do, I'm doomed to live a life that I don't want to live." "I don't know you," I say. "I don't know what you're going through. But I saw how you handled that monster tonight. You were fucking incredible, Katya. You never hesitated or backed down, even when a shadow monster showed up out of nowhere and took a chunk out of your side. So whatever it is that you want out of life...I believe you can get it." Katya says nothing, not meeting my gaze. Then I hear her quietly sniffle, and I realize she must be crying. "Thank you," she says quietly. "I'm just telling the truth," I say. The moonlight makes her blond hair seem to glow with a cold white light and her tears sparkle on her face. She looks beautiful and deeply troubled. I wonder what she's thinking about, but I decide it's best not to ask. All I can think about is how much I wish I could take away the pain that I see on her face right now. We don't say anything after that, but the silence is comfortable instead of anxious now. We stand there together, peacefully, absorbing the moonlight and listening to the rustling sounds of the forest at night, until the autumn cold finally urges us into the residence hall. <center>END OF CHAPTER 2</center> <center>Chapter 3 is still under construction!</center> <center>[[Replay?->Title Page]]</center> (set: $KATYALOVE to $KATYALOVE+1)(if:(save-game:"Katya"))[Autosave successful!](else: )[Autosave failed.]

We enter the room and quickly scan for anything dangerous. It's difficult to see, but as far as we can tell, the room is completely still. I close the door behind us. The small teal flame that the professor lit earlier is still burning on his desk, giving a marginal amount of light. The students have all fled, but the professor is still lying on the floor. I walk over to him and kneel down next to him. I gently shake his shoulder. "Professor? Professor, can you hear me?" Darcere stirs. "Ugh," he groans. "My head..." He opens his eyes. "What happened?" "You were attacked by a monster and knocked unconscious," I say. "Actually, we were hoping you might know what's going on." The professor blinks at me, then shakes his head. "No, I...I'm afraid I have no idea what caused this monster to appear," he says. "Well, it's dead now," Zenith says. "I took care of that. But do you think there could be more out there?" The professor seems to consider the question. "A monster like that...It must be some type of shadow creature. It can only manifest from the presence of dark energy. I doubt there's enough dark energy nearby to manifest a second one...though, then again, I have no idea how the first one managed to appear either..." "Encouraging," Zenith says sarcastically. The professor seems too distracted to take offense at Zenith's snide remark. "Well, in my professional opinion, there's unlikely to be another," Darcere says. "If you've dispatched the one that you saw, I would advise the two of you to return to your dorm rooms. I'll investigate further here to determine the cause of the attack and ensure that the building is secured." //Dorm room...do I have one of those?// "Um, Professor," I say. "Sorry, but I'm not sure where my dorm room is, actually..." "Oh, of course," he says. "I would have thought they would have covered that in your orientation, but someone must have slipped up. Well, all first year students are housed in Stella Iuvenis Hall, so you should both make your way there." "Thank you," I say. Zenith and I turn and walk out the door. [[Leave the building.->Leave the building. Z]]