[To those who entered the hedge maze last week, this sight may be familiar: there’s a group of people in colorful clothes and armor, each armed with a sword against the backdrop of a town that looks familiar as well. Amongst them is the raggedy, becloaked figure of a blond man in a blue suit with orange fittings who has been accompanying those in this garden recently.
This time, what’s different is that the town is no longer frozen and silent but roaring with screams and shouts, the sound of clashing blades, plumes of smoke; the sword-carrying group are sliced up and bloody to varying degrees. There are blooms of red amidst the usual dirt on Yamanbagiri’s cloak. They all look exhausted. However, they continue to move as one.
Everything looks as though viewed through murky water, rippling and dark.
The sword warriors run desperately through the dark – they encounter people who are running like puppets with jerky strings, howling like beasts and waving any kind of implement that could be a weapon. Even through the images you can feel the bloodlust from the crowd. The warriors strike – they slash through the people, stabbing, maiming, throwing them aside like ragdolls. There are hesitations; there are mistakes.]
”The humans–!!”
“You’re better off no longer seeing them as human!”
“The humans have been cut off from the flow of time… The world has been cut off…!”
“Do they all become like that?!”
“I don’t know!”
[They run; they cut; they kill; they run.
At last, with a ripple in the water’s image they arrive at what looks like a gate. Mist and light billow from it endlessly. Much like the warriors, it looks out of place in this town, in this time.
The gate is closing inch by inch, slow and inexorable like the door to a prison.]
”This is…!
“It’s the entrance to this timeflow.”
[Desperately, Yamanbagiri and the warriors rush at the gate – they grab at it, trying to keep it open, trying to reach their escape from wherever this is. But once again, the terrible facsimiles of people(?) from before swarm in to attack; more and more blood is spilt on both sides. Meanwhile, the gateway grows ever narrower. Warriors in darker clothes with red eyes appear and push the group back even further; somewhere in the confusion they join the side of the sword warriors.
There’s a breakthrough after that sudden alliance: the sword warriors and the dark warriors begin making it through the gate, one by one.
Yamanbagiri is one of the last ones on this side, clinging to the gate with a red-haired companion in flashy red and black armor. They laugh together.]
“Looks like we’ll be able to make it back, somehow.”
“Yeah– Ookanehira!!”
[In that moment, more of the endless swarm from town rush in – Yamanbagiri rushes out front, blocks a few, takes a few blades to the side. His companion screams, but doesn’t let go of the gate, somehow.]
”Yamanbagiri! Hey, are you all right?! Yamanbagiri…?”
[Yamanbagiri turns to face the redhead. Ookanehira. There’s something dawning in the other man’s eyes.]
“I won’t… let anyone through!”
“Hey, Yamanbagiri. What are you trying to do?!”
“Go!”
“Yamanbagiri…!!”
[The crowd surges forward – Yamanbagiri surges forward faster, even with more blades running him through moment to moment, and shoves Ookanehira through the gate. It slams closed, plunging the world into darkness. There’s one last yell from Yamanbagiri before it closes completely:]
2/2 EVENT END
This time, what’s different is that the town is no longer frozen and silent but roaring with screams and shouts, the sound of clashing blades, plumes of smoke; the sword-carrying group are sliced up and bloody to varying degrees. There are blooms of red amidst the usual dirt on Yamanbagiri’s cloak. They all look exhausted. However, they continue to move as one.
Everything looks as though viewed through murky water, rippling and dark.
The sword warriors run desperately through the dark – they encounter people who are running like puppets with jerky strings, howling like beasts and waving any kind of implement that could be a weapon. Even through the images you can feel the bloodlust from the crowd. The warriors strike – they slash through the people, stabbing, maiming, throwing them aside like ragdolls. There are hesitations; there are mistakes.]
”The humans–!!”
“You’re better off no longer seeing them as human!”
“The humans have been cut off from the flow of time… The world has been cut off…!”
“Do they all become like that?!”
“I don’t know!”
[They run; they cut; they kill; they run.
At last, with a ripple in the water’s image they arrive at what looks like a gate. Mist and light billow from it endlessly. Much like the warriors, it looks out of place in this town, in this time.
The gate is closing inch by inch, slow and inexorable like the door to a prison.]
”This is…!
“It’s the entrance to this timeflow.”
[Desperately, Yamanbagiri and the warriors rush at the gate – they grab at it, trying to keep it open, trying to reach their escape from wherever this is. But once again, the terrible facsimiles of people(?) from before swarm in to attack; more and more blood is spilt on both sides. Meanwhile, the gateway grows ever narrower. Warriors in darker clothes with red eyes appear and push the group back even further; somewhere in the confusion they join the side of the sword warriors.
There’s a breakthrough after that sudden alliance: the sword warriors and the dark warriors begin making it through the gate, one by one.
Yamanbagiri is one of the last ones on this side, clinging to the gate with a red-haired companion in flashy red and black armor. They laugh together.]
“Looks like we’ll be able to make it back, somehow.”
“Yeah– Ookanehira!!”
[In that moment, more of the endless swarm from town rush in – Yamanbagiri rushes out front, blocks a few, takes a few blades to the side. His companion screams, but doesn’t let go of the gate, somehow.]
”Yamanbagiri! Hey, are you all right?! Yamanbagiri…?”
[Yamanbagiri turns to face the redhead. Ookanehira. There’s something dawning in the other man’s eyes.]
“I won’t… let anyone through!”
“Hey, Yamanbagiri. What are you trying to do?!”
“Go!”
“Yamanbagiri…!!”
[The crowd surges forward – Yamanbagiri surges forward faster, even with more blades running him through moment to moment, and shoves Ookanehira through the gate. It slams closed, plunging the world into darkness. There’s one last yell from Yamanbagiri before it closes completely:]
“Go and become a fine captain!”
[Left in the dark, like a raging tide, like thunderclouds, the crowd overwhelms the figure in the white cloak and buries him underneath their weapons and shouts.]