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

Sender: Kazuma

[chippedsoul]

I did receive that letter. Surprised it was able to reach us here.

[allegedprisoner]

I'm not. If the Story Teller could reach out to multiple worlds to ask for help, why couldn't they reach out to us here?

[chippedsoul]

Does a being known as the "Story Eater" even have power over a world made of dreams? I would think the tapirs would already be aware of it's presence at least.

Sender: Nino

[djbubbles]

I got one too.

It would be a good idea to let everyone else know who the Story Eater is and what his deal is, and prepare. It's pretty likely we're gonna get attacked in the future.

[allegedprisoner]

Exactly. Though I'm not entirely sure how we'll manage to fight back this time without our essences.

We'll find a way, though. Just a matter of figuring out how.

[djbubbles]

That dreamotion thing might be key to figuring the Story Eater. It's the best we got.

Sender: Anya

[grandduchess_anya]

I have also received the letter as well.

It probably means that the Story Eater must have found its way to this place too. We have to tell the others about it so we can prepare for it when it will come for us.

[allegedprisoner]

Of course. A proper warning would be nice for the others, I think.

[grandduchess_anya]

It would definitely make sense to get the word out there. I am just wondering if they will take it seriously as we all do, but hopefully they will understand it soon enough.

Sender: Rosalia

[bloodinbloom]

I got one too. What should we do? He was threatening everyone through stories, but wouldn't dreams make it more direct?

[allegedprisoner]

A proper warning for the rest of the current population might be in order. At least we might have time, given the fact that dreams tend to be more non-linear and personalized. The Story Eater would have to adapt to the changes as well, I think.

[bloodinbloom]

I hope you're right. Do you think the tapirs know?

Sender: Zhao

[seemagicshit]

A letter? I haven't gotten any weird letter. But a Story Eater sounds pretty crazy.

What is it?

[allegedprisoner]

Seeing as it was addressed to people from the Index I wouldn't be surprised.

To summarize, the Story Eater is an entity whose goal is to destroy stories and by extension worlds. Former aspects like myself were asked to come to the Index and help repair the stories through re-enactment, though we occasionally had to fight off the Story Eater's minions directly with powers gained from our Essences.

I'm not sure how we'll combat the Story Eater without said Essences, though I suspect we may need to make use of this Dreamotion thing.

[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?

Sender: Alvin

[opportunitycosts]

Reporting in to say I got one, too.

Hearing that the Story Eater is here...is definitely not good. That thing is already tough to fight off even with the Essences. But things were improving back in the Story Realm, right? Maybe it's weakened enough now that it's not in its element?

[allegedprisoner]

Yes, I believe the letter said the Story Realm can heal on its own from here.

[ He does have it in front of him, at least. ]

Anyway, weakened or not it still poses at least some threat. I don't want to sound paranoid but we should probably prepare for the worst.

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.

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.

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...

[allegedprisoner]

Nor am I...

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

Sender: Mirai

[fatedmahou]

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

[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.

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?

[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.