Two things: A notice and a recorded dream.

[allegedprisoner]

Journal Entry

Sender: Luca Balsa
To: Everyone
Subject: Received a strange note by paper bird.

To those who were previously in the Index: Has anyone else received a letter delivered in the form of a live paper bird? I don't mean to raise any alarms, but it said the Story Eater might have followed us here somehow. Perhaps we ought to inform everyone else about the fellow just in case?

To Eli Clark and anyone else who was invited to Orpheus Manor (Forgive me if I got the name of the place wrong): Looking through the above letter and my previous entries in this journal, I remembered something that might explain some discrepancies. It seems while my soul was in the Index, the Story Teller who brought me there put a copy of my soul in my original body. Which allegedly got pulled into a strange hunting game in which he was prey? I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this, but I apologize for any confusion or inconvenience my doppelganger may have caused.

Recorded Dream

Sender: Luca Balsa
To: Everyone
Subject: Dream recording

[ Luca's in an old mansion... Abandoned, by the looks of it. There's dust and cobwebs everywhere and the sensation that the whole place may collapse if he stepped on a floorboard funny. But he knows there's something for him here.

What might be here? He's not sure, but it could bring a revelation and was rightfully his. He passes by a large portrait of a man whose face had melted into the canvas, paint dripping down the canvas and further obscuring the figure. There's a neglected book case nearby... This may be it? Luca starts taking books off the shelves and starts thumbing through them. Notebook after notebook, but it's hard to make out the scribbles on the pages. There's a copy of some adventurous novel placed among the journals, something about a man lost at sea...

A loud noise interrupts Luca's perusal. Footsteps! Someone must be here with him!

He closes the book and shoves it under his arm. He must not be seen here! He can hear his heart beating in his chest as he makes for the window, knowing full well that going through the door could bring him closer to the other fellow. The room seems much larger than he first imagined it to be, but he makes it through the window just as he heard someone opening the door...

It's a short fall. He lands on his side, and wakes up. ]

Comments

[allegedprisoner]

Right. These powers only exist in dreams, though... Do you know if anyone is trained in lucid dreaming so we can properly practice?

[opportunitycosts]

...It'll be real bad if it actually uses the nightmare whatevers here, too.

Best idea is we all group up and organize the info together to let everyone know at once instead of spreading it out in bits and pieces.

[allegedprisoner]

Good idea. Shall we determine a time and place for a meeting?

[opportunitycosts]

Yeah. I'm pretty much free...and probably most everyone, too. A place... Fortunately there are plenty of empty buildings around so we could probably take one of those unless you have a better idea.

[bloodinbloom]

I remember that post, but I don't think anyone's said what's there yet.

[grandduchess_anya]

That would be a great idea. It will surely get to more people and inform them about it that way.

Sender: Jiang Cheng

[legbreakings]

I don't know what this is about, I was previously in a town only called the quarantine zone. [ Well, one of his fellow prisoners had named it but he refuses that name still, even a world away. ] But if a danger of your prior prison has followed us here, we should all be informed.

And it is alarming that our enemies might have followed us here, if this is truly the new place the tapirs claim it to be.

Sender: Dojima

[detectiveforhierophant]

I got it too.

Not looking forward to dealing with that bastard here.

[ Especially now with Nanako here... ]

We did beat it down pretty hard before it got us sucked in here, so it's probably biding it's time to heal up before it strikes.

And we already know it can easily invade peoples dreams. Or at least, I know and remember when it trapped a bunch of us in some.

Then again, that might've just been it using Sleeping Beauty's powers in the Index when it had consumed that story...

[seemagicshit]

So...some big monster is trying eat the world? I've seen movies like that, I swear.

And it might come here? Right when I was getting my treehouse comfortable?

Re: Sender: Jiang Cheng

[allegedprisoner]

[ Luca winces at the word "prison." This fellow has the wrong idea, best to clarify. ]

The Index was not a prison. We were asked to come there and help restore stories and were given the option to return home after helping repair at least one. A fun experience, in my opinion.

But that's beside the point. The letter also mentioned this place was newly formed, so we can assume the tapirs were telling the truth.

[allegedprisoner]

Nor am I...

It can invade dreams? This is news to me, could you give me some details about that incident?

[allegedprisoner]

You'll have to explain movies to me later. I get the impression they're some form of entertainment?

Still, you do have some time. I think we managed to weaken it considerably in the Realm of Stories.

[allegedprisoner]

I see. Hope they manage well enough in there.

Sender: Mirai

[fatedmahou]

Story Eater? I'm sorry, I don't follow. Who's the Story Eater?

Sender: Seer

[assist]

There is no need to apologize, Luca.
It is a lot to take in, the manor and the workings that happened within...
So for now, please do not worry too much about it.
The fact you are here and well is good news enough.

It does make me curious though.. this "Story Teller" and the workings of your soul.
You are feeling alright, I hope?

[legbreakings]

I'm still not convinced this isn't another containment zone the Technicians who captured us set up. They liked to play games giving us false hope and comfort, to amp up our despair.

But that aside, you mentioned this Story Eater. What kind of enemy is he?

[bloodinbloom]

I hope so too. I miss having my essence powers. I'd be able to help them.

[allegedprisoner]

Using one of the buildings should be fine. It would need to be cleaned up at any rate, may as well kill two birds with one stone.

Only thing we need now is an exact time to meet, for those who function better with schedules.

[allegedprisoner]

That sounds like a horrible place! I have sympathy for your plight, but hopefully you should have a better experience here? At least the tapirs seem to have a laissez-faire approach to managing us.

As for the Story Eater, it wouldn't be wise to go off trying to fight him on your own. He's a powerful entity bent on destruction who nearly devastated an entire realm by destroying well known stories. Luckily, he can be fought through collective efforts. My fellow aspects and I accomplished this mainly through recreating the lost stories, though there were times we had to fight his minions directly.

[allegedprisoner]

Right. I think some other people who've responded to this post might have also suggested a meeting to discuss the matter?

[allegedprisoner]

Remind me what Essence you had?

[allegedprisoner]

A horrid entity bent on destroying worlds. Luckily, we've managed to repair the damage he caused to the Realm of Stories and weakened him considerably, but it seems he's still lurking somewhere in this world.

[allegedprisoner]

Thank you, Seer.

[ Why on earth is the man using his title and not his name? At least he knows who this is from the speech patterns and mention of the manor alone. ]

I assure you, I'm quite alright. The letter said that most of our souls returned to the proper bodies, even if a fragment stayed in this place. Besides, venturing to the Realm of Stories and helping the Story Teller was completely voluntary, and we were allowed to leave after restoring at least one story, I think. You can probably tell why I opted to stay for as long as I could.

[grandduchess_anya]

Yes, I would agree as well. I think that can help out a lot for everyone to meet up and discuss things about the Story Eater and how to prepare for it.

[seemagicshit]

So how exactly do you punch a monster like that in the balls? Only because it sounds like physical attacks aren't going to do shit against it.