Ayyy, its me

Sayaka would often take the time to greet the old man, and listen to his story. Sure, it never really changed, but it helped make him happy. As Sayaka listens to him once again, she tilts her head at the old man. So you're sayin' some kid entered the woods, after being near it for a while. You ever notice any particularly unusual behavior as he went in? Maybe he started sayin' somethin' weird these last few days? Sayaka absentmindedly twists the ring around her finger as she speaks. She hasn't felt anything of course, but its best to learn about these situations before making a decision

(He notices sayuka and walks to her) ay, need help

Kotori looks on, hiding from Sayaka as she follows her C'mon..... how long does it take?

The old man would begin thinking on his interactions with the boy. He hadn't talked to him too much as he always let him go about his business. However, perhaps there was something in particular that he could think on. Old Man: "He wasn't too talkative usually. I think one time he mentioned his reason for not listening to the stories had to do with having heard it before but that's about all I can think of. As I said he didn't really talk to anyone else as far as I had seen at least. I worried for the boy and the distance he seemed to put between himself and the others that would come along but all I could really do was watch."

Ay um.....old man?, um...these two want to talk ta ya

Sayaka puts her hand on her chin and thinks for a moment, tapping her foot. Antisocial behavior like that is kinda weird, but nothing too much on its own. Still... Do you know around WHERE he entered the forest? I'm a liiittle worried about people going off alone like that. At the very least, would you mind showing me the spot? Sayaka smiles at the old man as she makes her request, sure, its probably nothing much, but hey, she's got plenty of time before she needs to head home anyways. And there's some chance she'lll find something anyways

(Just in case, he pulls out his 7'1 lon claymore)

The old man would get up from the place he was resting and point towards a small path into the forest. For a moment it almost seems like a shimmer of gold can be seen along the path but it disperses the moment it might be noticed. "It was over there. That paths been around for years but not many enter the forest anymore so I'm not sure how long it'll remain consistent within the forest. Not to mention that a few strange things have been said to be residing within the forest as well. Reports of seeing strange things and insects of strange coloration. They even say there's a man in the forest who tells those who enter to turn back. Not sure why there'd be someone like that but I guess it's not my place to judge if someone wants to spend there time doing that."

A loud blaring train horn rattles the area, a large white gap in time itself opens as a green train emblazoned with a bull on the front pulls in on tracks which seemingly appear from nowhere. As the train comes to a stop, an odd looking thing steps off, looking quite panicked. "This is terrible! Y-Y-Yuuto's gone! I can't feel him anywhere! What's worse, I don't recognize any of this place! What am I going to do!?" He looks about as flustered as he can be, though he DOES seem to be some sort of monster. "Ah, h-hello!?" He bows to the old man. "Do you happen to know where we are? It's an emergency!"

W-what....... Kotori is dumbfounded by the train

HOW THE FUCK?!?!, WHY

Lowe was leaning against a tree, listening to the old man intently, before his eyes bulged nearly out of his head at the sound of the train horn. "W-what the fuck?!" He tried to keep his cool at the sight of a large green train. Yep, not scary at all. He throws them around all the time, nothing to worry about. Yeah, sure. Keep telling yourself that Lowe. "Geez, you can't just barrel around like that, you dick. Whatever, hey old timer, I think I'm gonna go take a look. I can't shake the bad feeling I have about this." He turns to Sayaka with a nod, before going in the direction ushered toward by the old man. He's moving pretty quickly, probably eager to get the hell away from that train.

(He right by sayuka, wit his7'1 claymore) what the hell is going on?!!!!

Sayaka smiles and gives the old man a thumbs up before turning to the forest Thanks for your help, I'll be sure to tell you wha.... She would have continued, but it was cut off by the sound of a train entering the area. Sayaka immediately turns around, staring at the sudden train with mouth wide open. After the individual gets off, she would compose herself and wave to him U... H.. Hey there. Calm down for a moment. What's with the train? Who's this "Yuuto"? Just... Take a deep breath, and explain things. Sayaka waves to Lowe as he continues by her, she blinks for a moment, but decides not to follow just yet

The old man looks over to Deneb with a chuckle. It seems he was too old to really be surprised by such things anymore as he had seen and heard of plenty of strange things in his time of telling stories. Old Man: "Why, we're just a little outside of the big city of Tokyo. Though, what a surprise that fancy train of yours is. This will be sure to be a good story as well someday." The old man would nod to the others with a grin on his face and a slight gleam in his eyes. Perhaps the strong will of others gave him something to take comfort in.

Is it just me...or is it that this man...is...a little weird?

The thing seems to calm down a bit, but only a bit. He still moves his arms in front of himself almost similar to a worried mother. "I-I'm looking for a "Sakurai Yuuto". He is VERY important to me! If you know anything about him..." He bows sincerely. "...please tell me!" He stops bowing and looks toward the old man. "T-Tokyo? We're still in Japan! That makes things so much easier on me. Thank you... AH, Where are my manners!? Here! Deneb Candy!" He pulls a basket filled with small candies from beneath his cloak, and hands it to the old man. "Enjoy!"

Man, idk what ya talking bout..and I don't think no one else does either

Lowe would be the only one at the forests entrance at this point. The forest seemed pretty normal for the most part. The only thing that would seem suspicious is a figure that he can't quite make out deeper within the forest itself. The figure would seem familiar but in a way he wouldn't be able to place. The old man would accept the basket of candy with a smile on his face. Old Man: "I'm afraid I've never heard of your friend. perhaps if I do hear something I'll be able to tell you at some point. I do hope that you are able to find them."

Sayaka laughs a little and scratches the back of her head, nice to see they're.... Enthusiastic. She sighs and tries to wave away some of the individual's concern Ehhh... Sorry, I haven't seen a "Sakurai Yuuto" around anywhere, but I'll make sure to tell you if I do. That situation taken care of, Sayaka would give Deneb a thumbs up before running off in the direction of the forest path after Lowe

(He follows sayuka, with his claymore dragging behind him)

The others would arrive at the forest's entrance as well now. They would witness Lowe trying to draw closer to the figure without trying to draw attention to himself. However, the figure would soon turn around as he already knew he was there. The figure would reveal to be a man with dark brown hair and black eyes. He wore a black bodysuit and had a mask covering half his face. The mask was noticeably white and gold and shaped slightly like the wing of a butterfly. He would look at Lowe directly and then briefly to the others. "Greetings, may I ask what you're doing here? I must also ask that you turn back. There is nothing here for you to see."

Lowe stops dead in his tracks, cursing a bit under his breath. This must be who the old man was talking about. Oh, uh...this is kinda awkward. Well, you're an o-odd dresser, ain'tcha? He was noticeably losing his cool. Something about this guy, it didn't feel quite right. Comforting, despite having never met him before; or had he? This discrepancy, this uncertainty was enough to shake him. "Sorry to say, but I got no plans on turning around. This place is too creepy to just disregard."

Sayaka smiles and waves at the figure before confidently stepping towards the figure. Weird clothes, but that's not the weirdest thing she's seen these last thirty seconds anyways. She steps ahead of Lowe, nodding to the older teen before speaking to the person I heard some weird rumors about what's been happenin' here so I figured I'd want to check it out myself. Especially if some other guy's lost here. Would hate for anything to happen to them. Sayaka playfully leans against Lowe for a moment, her utter calm making a nice contrast to his fear before continuing towards the other man. She keeps one eye on her ring, just to be safe

Despite everything the man's expression would remain calm but one would keen observation might be able to catch a hint of regret behind his calm demeanour. That regret almost would seem fearful in a way for any who notice. "I will state it once more. There is nothing to see here. The boy from before is fine and this forest is actually quite dangerous for any who enter without my guidance. So, once again I ask that you leave." The man would almost seem to hesitate as he speaks but his calm tone remains the same through all his words in an almost unnatural way.

Lowe isn't quite sure how to react to this girl. What's she made of, to not be unnerved by this dude? "Well once again, I say I'm going. Sorry pal, but I'm not backing down from this. If everything was so fine, you wouldn't be trying to keep us out." Lowe pushes past Sayaka, and attempts to go deeper into the forest in spite of the man's protests.

Sayaka steps a bit closer to the man and eyes him for a moment, definitely acting weird, especially with that insistence. Still, she seems to decide something and grins at him, putting both hands behind her back Well alrighty then. That settles it. Sayaka steps even closer to him, by now having almost reached the older man If this place is really dangerous for people who enter without you guiding them... Sayaka suddenly reaches out and tries to grab the man's arm in order to drag him along with her Then you're just gonna have to come with us. Sayaka nods to Lowe as he passes by, a wide smile plastered across her face

As Lowe enters deeper into the forest he'd suddenly hear the sound of laughter echo behind the trees. A small blue humanoid creature with almost a paper like appearance would approach him. Rather than eyes and a mouth it would just have empty space and be emitting the sound of child-like laughter. Suddenly a strange energy would surround it as a small boulder would be hurdled in Lowe's direction. However, what Lowe might soon discover is that this boulder wouldn't deal any damage and would pass through anything it touches instead making impact with a seemingly invisible entity somewhere behind Lowe. The man would become somewhat melancholy at the girl's suggestion as he would do nothing to stop Lowe from pressing forward. "I suppose I have no choice. Just keep in mind that what you see here is not something to be taken lightly. It is a sin I committed and one that formed from a larger mistake I made in the past."

Lowe whips his head around, seeing the man had just saved his ass. "...Yeah, alright. Thanks for doing this, I can't leave this alone."

Sayaka stops trying to drag the man forward and instead stops and looks at him again, her usual smile being replaced with a concerned frown A sin you committed? So I take it you did somethin' pretty bad then? Sayaka shakes her head and smiles back at the man, sounds complicated, but still.... I take it you really don't wanna talk about it, do ya? That's why you're trying to hide this stuff. I don't mind, but I am a little worried. So come on!!! The sooner we're satisfied the sooner we'll leave. With a wide grin Sayaka would once again try to drag the older man further into the forest, though, considering she's just 14 its not like she can make him go anywhere

The man would follow suit as they would approach Lowe who had just has a strange encounter with the strange blue figure floating around. "There is no need to thank me. I did nothing for this is only an illusion of the past. Did you know that there wasn't always a forest in this place? It was once an open field but one day this forest sprang up from seemingly no where. That day wasn't too long ago but all the residence around here began acting as if this place had always been here." The strange blue figure suddenly would look to be struggling as it began to make a light hissing noise. What looked to be lines of pressure formed around it before crushing it. The small figure would burst apart into a red light before fading away.

"It just appeared? Out of thin air? I'd ask how that happened, but I have a feeling that's out of my realm of expertise."

Sayaka glances at the blue figure as it bursts, it kinda looked like a familiar come to think of it, must just be part of this place's weirdness. Sayaka shrugs before looking back at the older man So you're sayin' it kinda affected everyone's memories huh? And I take it you had something to do with it too. Sayaka gives the man a sly grins before letting go of his arm for the moment, she leans a bit closer to him before asking So, the question we've all been waiting for. Why'd ya do it? This whole forest thing I mean. It just appeared out of nowhere, just for you to tell people to ignore it? Doesn't make much sense to me.

The man almost seems reluctant to answer as he begin walking further along the path. He would stop shortly not quite able to look back at the others as if he was ashamed of something but clearly not indicating such a thing through his expressions. "It wasn't that this forest was made by my will as much as it is that I made it from the will of another. Perhaps it would be more accurate to suggest that it was the result of trauma and repression that needed to be released in another form. My attempts at keeping others from entering is for a reason admittingly selfish in nature. I am ashamed of the mistake I have made that continues to haunt others wherever I may go. Even still there are those who have suffered dire consequences from the choices made by others that I followed along with despite the consequences." A small blueish devil like creature carrying a pitchfork would walkout and point the pitchfork threateningly in a somewhat random direction. Suddenly the pitchfork would ignite as it flins the flames all over the area. The flames would not actually burn anything they touches but heat could almost be felt on them be it very distantly.

Lowe followed the man, trying his best to ignore the spirit-like creatures. "You feel ashamed of the consequences the actions of someone else has had? You can't blame yourself for that stuff man, all you can do is move forward and work to redeem yourself to, well yourself. You need to forgive yourself, from where I stand you're not really at fault."

Sayaka makes sure to keep up with the man, staying close to him just in case. So you’re sayin’ you went along with something, and people got hurt. So now you kinda wanna hide the fact so others won’t blame you? Sayaka smiles and steps in front of the guy, gesturing to the apparent fire in the area And you think it was really bad too. Well, don’t worry, long as you weren’t TRYING to hurt anyone I’ve got nothin’ against it. It was kinda silly, yeah. But like that old guy said. Sayaka gestures to Lowe, he’s not that much older than her, all things considered, but she uses him as an example anyways It doesn’t sound like it’s your fault.

The man would try to smile as he continues walking along. Up ahead in the distance a clearing could be seen in the forest as the strange devil like creature from before meets the same fate as the blue figure from before. The devil-like creature is crushed by seemingly invisible bindings of pressure. "There are many elements to the incident that occurred and in the end I was the one who took the actions needed to preserve the order of the world. There was a cost but that isn't what is important. What is important is the effects of such an event and how they affected a particular individual. This individual suffered quite a bit at the cruel hands of fate. I attempted to save his soul perhaps out of a sense of responsibility for his life. Unfortunately near the end of events his life became impossible to restore and thus his mind was held in my own domain within the sea of human souls until a second wager was made. One that I had no choice but to accept considering the stakes. It is cruel to play with someone's life on the line but the circumstances were also the only way to restore what our past bet had taken to him. Though I fear that now I shall soon lose said wager simply out of lack of time. That which sustains their state of being here can only do so if his will demands it. The more he tries to mask such will the closer he gets to losing that power of life."

Sayaka raises an eyebrow and looks to the clearing as the man goes on. Sounds like there's an awful lot goin' on for sure, but still... She looks back at the man Y'know, I find it kinda odd that this place appeared, you told us to back off, and now that we refused you're telling us your life story. Are you asking for our help? Sayaka grins and steps into the path ahead of the others, grinning at the older man and pointing at herself with her thumb I know I may not look like much, but I'd be glad to do anything I can to help you two, so just say the word and I'll be there to protect him. You can count on that.

Upon reaching the clearing a young man could be spotted in the center. He was holding a shovel and digging into the ground. One strange detail about this clearing is that within a certain spot a trail of blood long dried could be seen. The ground itself had strange gnarled roots coming out in random spots. Particularly strange was a set of roots near where the pool of blood started seeming to almost dig down into something. These roots were especially twisted looking and covered in thorns. The young man almost seemed to have no expression as if his eyes were just blank as he continued digging. "Perhaps, protect would be the wrong word. Perhaps I have already said too much as well. The nature of this wager can not be known as such a revelation would be in the violation of it. For now I can only hope that something will change but at the rate everything is going no doubt that their life shall be extinguished. The rumor that the old man you may have met at the entrance. The story he tells, it is a story of an event that unfolded long ago. An event I tried to intervene with but all I could do in the end was give them something to defend themselves with. They made a choice and tried to protect those they felt needed help. That choice cost them dearly and now they separate themselves from such ideas of being a savior."

Sayaka looks over at the person digging in the clearing, before turning back to the masked figure by her side. She seems... A little confused, but nods to him I gotcha, if you told me any more you'd lose this bet of yours, and that'd be pretty bad. Sayaka runs ahead into the clearing, giving the man one last thumbs up as they go Don't you worry, I'll do my best to make sure everything ends up ok!!! That's just what I do. With that closing remark, Sayaka would run towards the digging individual, careful to avoid any roots in her path, and loudly proclaim Hey, need any help over there? I heard somethin' about a guy wandering in here, so I wanted to check up on it. Glad to see you're alright

The boy would be caught of guard by the girl's sudden approach. He didn't expect anyone to enter the forest as most had stayed away from it due to the rumors. He would continue to dig with a shudder as this place brought back many bad memories for him. "You should leave. Sorry, but this place isn't really the best place to talk for me and I don't want anyone else to see me here." He would continues digging a hole before finally stopping once the hole seems big enough to seemingly fit a coffin in.

Well, too late for that now isn't it? Sayaka puts both hands behind her head and walks closer to Quintus, stopping right by the edge of the hole. She turns back to the older man with a smile, leaning casually backwards in the air I don't mind if you don't wanna talk, I'm just here to make sure you're ok. That's just kinda my thing. I won't be leaving until you do. Sayaka shrugs and looks into the hole Quintus dug, kinda weird that there doesn't seem to be anything to bury nearby, maybe he likes the practice? So, care to tell me what you're digging for anyways? Maybe some buried treasure? Wouldn't that be cool to find?

Quintus would sigh but not be too unhappy with another person's presence. He would walk over to a certain spot in the ground and pull up a stone hidden in the grass. He would begin focusing on the stone as a golden aura broke loose around him. Roots would appear from the ground and surround the stone as they slowly would begin carving into it. "The hole? It's just something I feel should've done a long time ago. Probably by someone other than me but I guess I can't blame people too much. Even I barely know what happened..."

Sayaka watches as Quintus messes with the stone, looks like it might be kinda important, but she can't really tell how. She shrugs, as though responding to a question no one asked, before looking back to Quintus Does it have somethin' to do with the old man's story? That's the only interesting thing I've heard about this place. Sounds like its kinda boring otherwise.

"That story?" Quintus' eyes would begin to well up but he would resist his own thought on the matter instead focusing on the stone. The roots stretch through it as they carve it into a possibly familiar shape. The shape of a tombstone. "It's just a stupid rumor. The one in the story who goes off to save the other only to disappear? It's just idiotic to mess with forces you don't understand and only ends with wasting your life only to realize that your sacrifice didn't mean a thing to anyone." He would place the gravestone at the top of the hole. Quintus would then do something unexpected. He jumped down into the hole and seemed to lay at the bottom. "As I said before, I just want to be left alone. Not like any of this is going to matter anyway. But at least I have a place to be when this is all over."

Sayaka's eyes open wide as Quintus jumps into the hole himself, she tries to grab his arm, but doesn't react quickly enough. Instead she lets out a cry of frustration Hey!!! Don't just discount that kinda stuff so casually. There are all sorts of good reasons for it. Who cares if they get recognition? If that's all they wanted, they shouldn't have risked themselves in the first place. Sayaka tries to jump into the hole after Quintus, its not that large anyways, so its somewhat doubtful she'd end up hurt I don't know what your deal is, but I'm not gonna leave anyone alone in some creepy forest like this. Not when I've come so far. My name's Sayaka Miki, and helping people is what I do.

Quintus would make room for the girl not wanting to be stepped on. He would turn away from her obviously frustrated. "What's even the point of risking yourself...People say they want to risk their lives so quickly and for what purpose? So they can die? Death isn't a fun experience believe it or not. It's a sharp pain followed by numbness. Your whole body goes numb and you stop being able to feel or think or even breathe. Eventually everything goes dark and becomes cold...its just...nothingness. The least they could've done is dig me a grave but even that was apparently too much..." He tries to hide his face as he begins to finally cry. He isn't sure why he's even saying any of this anymore. It was a secret everyone for so long as he knew that such an existence would only make others pity him. "I've told you before. This isn't your concern and you have no reason to get involved. This is my own problem and I need to solve it myself." The boy's skin was noticeably abnormally pale and golden leaves that were rapidly decaying were strewn about the bottom of the hole that weren't there before.

You've got it all wrong... Idiot!!!! Sayaka's shout could be heard all throughout the clearing, as she jumps up and attempts to slap Quintus in the face. Seeing as she's 14 it probably wouldn't hurt that much, but hopefully it gets the message across. Still steaming, Sayaka breathes a quick sigh of frustration, hardly noticing the decaying leaves in the area Its not like I or anyone else is TRYING to die, I just accepted that its a possibility. One I had to take in order to do what's right. With a fire rare for someone so young Sayaka would glare at Quintus, her fierce stance seeming to challenge him So then, tell me, why did you do it huh? Did you just want people to recognize you, to see you as something great? "When making a wish for someone else be sure you know the intention behind it. Otherwise you're sure to regret it."

He would step back in shock of being hit. All he could do was reach up to his face. He knew he wasn't acting normally. "I didn't care about something lime attention. That monster was going to kill a group of kids. When I learned I could save them...I guess I just felt like I had to. But...I don't know anymore. Is that really my responsibility? I'm not even that 'hero' anymore. I can't even take my eyes of death as it looms over me. I even claimed I wanted to become stronger but what purpose do I have even besides my own survival."

Sayaka crosses her arms and huffs again, turned to the side, she only looks at Quintus out the corner of her eye. Her fury's quite clear, though its hard to tell what exactly its aimed at Of course its your responsibility! If you have the ability to change the world, to help people, then you should do it. You'd have to be crazy not to fear death a little, but you can't let something that stupid stop you. Sayaka turns her head to look Quintus directly in the eyes, her own, fierce determination shining through But fine, if you can run from it, if you wanna run from that responsibility, then BE MY GUEST. I'm going to continue doing what's right, because as long as I have the chance to make a difference, you can be certain I'm going to do it. Understand?

Quintus was unsure what to do. This girl seemed to speak to his confusion directly. Somewhere deep down he wanted to help people but he didn't know if he really wanted to risk his life doing so again. Death was a terrifying thing, one that filled him with more dread than he could ever even imagine. A voice from deep down tempted him into being selfish but another voice from somewhere warm made him want to take off the mask. "I-I don't know...I don't want to run away but it's horrifying knowing that I could die at any moment. How do people accept something like that? Is it some kind of skill or is everyone really just numb to the idea of death." Quintus would begin digging his way out of the hole. He almost seemed to be struggling as if the small ledge was much larger than usual. Eventually he's make it up but he'd be breathing slightly heavily.

Sayaka remains in the hole, looking back up at Quintus, she seems to have calmed a little, but one can still feel a slight distaste in her voice Its called "sucking it up and doing what you need to anyways". You let something dumb like fear stop you, and all you'll ever do is run away from your problems. Sayaka grins at Quintus before excitedly pumping her fist in the air, something more like you'd expect from someone her age Sometimes you've just gotta face it head-on and show the world what you're made of. Sure, it might be kinda rough, but that's no reason not to try, is it? With that, Sayaka would begin climbing out of the hole herself. Although the hole isn't too large, she's clearly not dressed appropriately for such a thing, and seems to be having some trouble getting out of it

Quintus would begin walking away back out of the forest. His head was cloudy and he wasn't quite sure where to go from here. Facing death? As if he could even consider that. There was Hoolworm to consider as well. The parasite lived off that fear and thus he needed to keep fearing it. He would shout back to the girl one last time. "I'm Quintus by the way. Whatever it's worth thanks for helping to clear my thoughts at least a little. I don't know where I'll go from here but I hope I'll end up somewhere."

Sayaka mutters to herself as she finishes climbing out of the hole... Her uniform's all dirty now... Gonna have to clean it when she gets home. Sayaka sighs and waves to Quintus My name's Sayaka Miki, and I'm glad I was able to talk with you. As though realizing something, Sayaka runs in an attempt to catch up to Quintus Oh, let me walk with you alright? Just so I can make sure everything goes ok, cool? With that, Sayaka would try to escort Quintus out of the forest. Such a knight.