I lie in my bed, stunned. My small apartment felt eerily quiet after the ear-shattering BASS I had just experienced. I raise my hand and click, just to make sure my ears still work.

click

I let out a sigh of relief I didn't even realise I was holding in, switch on my phone, notice the time, and freak out again. Lateness is a pet peeve of mine. I scramble out of my bed, hastily getting ready. At times like these I'm grateful for sleeping in everyday clothes. Less things to do when late. I stop before leaving, doing a things check. Pockets first; Phone, keys, wallet, and a pen and notepad. Cool. Bag next; Books, projects, laptop, cards, and duct tape. All good, then. Wait, ring in the dream. Grab that. See if those others in the dream knew about it. What were their names again? Kilo was the American one... Rana, and... Nasuri? Something like that. I'll recognise them all by sight, anyway. My headphones were on, and plugged into my phone. On my way out the door I shuffled my high-energy playlist: You Really Don't Care. Fucking perfect! Blast my functioning eardrums with The Drones.

I race down the stairs several steps at a time. I nearly fall a few times, which would've hurt. The lift opened on the third floor, and I decided I'd race it. They're usually designed to go smoothly rather than quickly in these buildings, so I figured I had a fair chance. I round the corner, and almost faceplant into someone going up. He hurls some abuse at me, which I cleverly rebut with 'Shit C***!'. The Aussie insult of choice. I'd say sorry if he were nice to me, but oh well. He must've been stressed or something.

I didn't beat the elevator because of that. I did manage to make it to the footpath and hail the bus with barely seconds to spare, though. I guess that matters more anyway. The first thing I notice when I hop on is just how crowded it is. The only open seat is next to some girl I'd never met. I take it. No point standing up if there's a free seat. I must've reeked, judging by the glances people shot at me, so I rolled on some deodourant. The music is turned up enough that I don't have to listen to others. As I sat, my mind had time to turn to that... Dream?

What was it about? And what the fuck could a Conduit Stone be? Probably nothing to do with electrical conduit, judging from the talk of Mythic Wars and Lost Empires. What else did it say? Something about battlemages? Oh, and there was an ethereal grey dude... who hugged me? Hey, there was a yellow one, too. He was wearing armor. Holy shit, could it be talking about Mythic Legends? I rub the sleep from my eyes, dismissing the thought. I had no way to prove it wasn't just a freak dream. I did write it down in my notebook, though. I'd made a habit of doing that. Odd things give me ideas. I closed the notebook as the bus pulled up at school. I got off, stretched, and rubbed my eyes again. I hate that. How when you rub your eyes it makes them more itchy.

All the others were spilling off the bus or milling around the courtyard outside. Maybe I'll try to find the others in the dream...

---

'I will be watching...'

Mayuri awoke with a start, sheets twisted and body covered in sweat. Her alarm hadn't gone off yet, and wouldn't for another eighteen minutes or so. With an irritated sigh, she bundled back up and turned on her side, wanting to get some more sleep before she had to get up.
Unfortunately, her brain seemed to not agree with her decision.
Curiosity and grumpiness overtook her thoughts. That dream was so strange. She could make it out so clearly, remember it so vividly, but it was so loud! And it riled her up so much, too! So much for a good night's sleep...

Wearily, the eighteen year old sat up, rubbing her eyes and looking out the window at the rising sun from her room in the Cayman District. Beautiful, but she wasn't quite in the mood after that dream.
Nightmare?
Whatever.
She decided to get ready, seeing as she didn't have much else to do that morning, beginning with her hair, breakfast, and school uniform. She appreciated a good coffee, and made no discrepancy in inserting a pod into the machine, knowing full-well how loud it was and that it could potentially wake those in other rooms. A few careful seconds passed by silently, to confirm that all was good. Mayuri took a nice sip of her coffee, though almost burned her tongue in the process...

School uniform was a simple matter of dressing in and out of, and she wasted no time in getting in once she had brushed her hair. Quickly texting her parents group chat a simple good morning and that she was heading out, Mayuri stepped out into the cool morning air, briskly taking the outside stairway to the ground floor...
Before immediately heading back up again after realising she had forgotten something very important. Twist of the key, flick of a switch, a slight-of-hand snatch, and out she was with a necklace around her neck. It wasn't anything too special - a silver amulet with a black jewel in the middle. However, it had been passed down to her from her grandfather, along with his special cards she'd always loved. He claimed it embodied "bold truth, which could never be denied regardless of beautiful ideals." He never explained what that truth was, however did ask that Mayuri always live as truthful as possible.
She always had, and always would.

Double-checking to make sure the cards were still in her bag (which they were), Mayuri safely set off towards the train station bound for Catalyst Academy. It was a pleasant trip, despite having to stand and not much to do. Many other students stepped off the train with her, heading inside to their locker. She traded a book or two and switched-
"Mayuri!"
"BWAUGH!"

... The taller teen was frozen in a strange pose, looking down in relieved terror at the person who had scared her. Her friend, Chihiro, was shorter and thinner, with auburn hair and features which came across as more rounded than Mayuri's face. She began to giggle, then full-blown began laughing in her face at her reaction. Mayuri, sensing a bit of cheer in her day, giggled too.
"What was that, Mayu? Bwaugh? Are you pretending to be a bird?" Chihiro snorted with glee. Mayuri shut the locker door as she readjusted her posture.
"Yes, actually, and I was frightened by the terrifying creature trying to eat me." The comment earned her a punch in the arm, but it was worth it. "Ow... OK, OK, it was only a heart attack, calm down." The pair entered deeper into the building and began to roam towards their group's gathering place: on a park bench by the bicycle rack. The area was quiet due to how little people rode by bike to the school, as well as the fact it was opposite to the main entrance. The two talked while they walked, not paying attention to much save the way towards their destination and each other.

After rubbing his eyes for the third time that minute, Gareth saw his culture teacher, Mr Nishikii, approach almost as soon as he got off the bus. They weren't too well acquainted, so it was somewhat surprising. The whole situation seemed much less strange as Gareth got told off for being late.

However, Mr Nishikii started taking furtive glances around. Almost as if he was looking for someone. Then he leaned in and whispered,
"You've met your battle mage, correct? You also are in possession of 15 cards that you didn't have before this? I was in the dream too, listen to your battlemage. He will know what to do next. Also if you're interested in obtaining new cards come see me at the old common room after lunch. I've arranged for you and the others to take the rest of the day off on 'study leave' use this time wisely Gareth... I will be watching....".

The whole sentence was too strange, but those last words shook Gareth to the core. He had forgotten about them until now. As Mr Nishikii disappeared toward the school, Gareth took his notepad again, and wrote:

I will be watching...

Fucking hell. This is a definite connection, then. The cards have some kind of connection to a conduit of sorts. A conduit of what sort? If Nishikii was in the dream as the voice, and if he knew that the others were there, then this could be otherworldly stuff he'd previously written off with a wave of the hand.

Research seemed the best route. He reasoned that google would be no help: It contained too much unorganised fiction. The state library was too far to get to and back from in time for lunch. The school library probably wouldn't offer much, but it was his only option.

The history section of the library was surprisingly informative. On all the wrong subjects. Nothing on battlemages or conduit stones, and he'd spent 2 hours there! He borrowed a few books that were interesting anyway and left, heading for the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was as crowded as it gets at lunch time. The food they have there is usually pretty average, but at a nice price. He sat down with his food and took his cards out. As he ate he fiddled with them, being very careful to not get any food on them. They had beautiful art, but he didn't know what they were for. He'd found them in a garage sale on his first day here, and decided to buy them as a housewarming gift to himself. Finishing the last of his food, he slipped the cards back into their case and pocketed them.

He decided he'd head to the old common room after all. Nishikii would probably be able to explain. On his way there he saw a few of the others from the dream, but they seemed busy so he didn't bother them. It was at the end of this hall.

The doors swung open, revealing a slightly run-down little room. It had a few couches and armchairs, and two tables with chairs. Quite moody. The room almost begged for jazzz to be playing. There was no-one else there yet, so he sprawled on a couch and started reading one of the books he'd borrowed from the library.

---

://UNKNOWN SENDER
--------
Yuki-Chan. You do not know me, but I know about you, your grandfather, those special cards, and the necklace with the black ring. I want to meet with you in person. After lunch, I have arranged for you, as well as people like you, to meet me in the old common room. I'm certain you know where it is, seeing as you've been going to this school for two years now. I might be able to offer you more of those special cards, and tell you more about how important they are. I'm sorry I can't say more, but if you do come, I will be happy to explain myself. We shall speak soon.
~A Friend
--------

Mayuri was confused, to say the least, though her grandfather did warn her that the cards and the ring could bring about some "strange phenomena." She thoroughly enjoyed the stories he'd tell of ancient battles and magic. Though part of her wished they were true, she mostly dismissed them as exaggerated flair to the games he played with them. However, this unknown sender just sent a message as though they were more than just antique cards. Were they worth more than she originally thought? Was her grandfather's stories true?
Probably not.
Yuki-San, it is an honor to finally speak with you.

The voice startled her for the second time today, however she was quick to note that this voice was certainly not Chihiro's. As she looked around, the world seemed a lot... darker. Like it had been covered in shade from a giant tree. Her surroundings began to blur, and she could feel herself wobbling slightly, the voice continuing, echoing. He wanted a challenge; to battle someone. It wasn't her grandfather, but he spoke in an eerily similar fashion, speaking of history and the cards like she should know what was going on. Though she'd like to pretend she knew, this overwhelming amount of new information made it hard to concentrate.
Certainly, Mayuri didn't expect this when she left for school this morning...
And almost as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. The voice; the darkness; the blurriness; even her dizziness. Chihiro, who was a few feet ahead of Mayuri, turned to face her dazed friend, looking concerned.

"Mayu...? Are you alright? Not feeling well?"
There was a click as she shut off her phone, pocketing the device and shaking her head somewhat. "Y-yeah, uhh, I just felt a bit out of it there. Maybe I should sit down a bit?" They were almost at the bike racks, however Chihiro wasn't about to let Mayuri walk there with her carrier bag, forcing Mayuri to leave the bag in her friend's care till the two could sit down. The taller teen didn't necessarily feel any different from before, and seemed fine both during the morning as well as lunch. It didn't ease Chihiro's worry, however.
Time passed quickly with Mayuri's mind on the text and the voice and the dream. Something strange was happening today, certainly, and she had to admit it was a bit exciting! Though she refused to admit it, she always wanted something like this to happen in her life, to become part of some kind of anime or video game, heck even a roleplay! It wasn't long before lunch was upon them, and Mayuri stood from her group's hangout spot with a bright smile.
"Mayu? You goin' somewhere?" Quizzed Chihiro, to which Mayuri nodded.
"Yeah, I gotta go! There's an errand which needs running which has my name on it. Hopefully I won't be long!"

And before anyone could object, she was off. Switching between a brisk walk and a light jog, Mayuri swiftly made her way to the old common room, and with it being so close, it didn't take her long to reach it. Lunch was about to end and it could cut into the next period, but she wasn't too worried. Moreover, she was especially curious as to who sent the message to her, and if they could explain all of the strange happenings thus far. She stopped just outside the door, hesitating a moment.
Deep breaths.
It would be fine. She had her phone on her, and it was still lunch time if it was dangerous.
She'd be fine.

The door opened with the same stiffness of the older doors of Catalyst. Yet, inside wasn't particularly uninviting. The room wasn't dusty or especially disorganized, and in fact looked quite comfortable. Though it seemed an unfamiliar face was already waiting for her inside. Had she kept him waiting? Was he the unknown sender? Or was he in the same boat as her? It was hard for her to say, however she figured that seeing as she was early, it was more likely this boy could also be an early bird.
There was really only one way to find out. Clearing her throat, she approached him with a warm smile. "Greetings. My name is Mayuri. Do you also have business here?"
She wanted to make an impression, but didn't want to seem too uptight, so she choose to sit across from the boy in an effort to make her seem more casual. She didn't want to say too much in case he wasn't who she thought he could be. After all, he could still be some random student who ate lunch in the old common room for the peace and quiet.

The doors swung open, and a girl walked in. She looked surprised, but a bit vague. For a moment Gareth wondered what she was doing, but then he remembered: She was one of the people in the dream! Holy shit! Maybe she'd know something about these crazy happenings...

She introduced herself before sitting on the couch opposite him.

Barely remembering the correct words, he said "Hi. I'm Gareth, but most people just call me Gaz. You... were in my dream last night.".

He decided after saying it that it definitely sounded creepy, so he tried to make a smooth recovery, "Err... that sounded creepy. There were other people, too. Not just you so it wasn't weird or anything."

'Fuck. Dig up!' He thought.

He decided that there was no recovering from those first sentence, so he changed the subject. "Do you have cards like this?", he asked.

---

As she took her seat on the armchair opposite the couch, the young man introduced himself. She immediately caught wind of his reference to the dream and waited for an opportunity to speak, however he seemed a bit... awkward. Not that he himself was bad at speaking, but he seemed to keep on talking. Although, she shouldn't be one to judge considering how much talking she did.
Mayuri let Gareth speak before he finished by asking her a question: "Do you have cards like this?"

She responded by adjusting her bangs and straightening up in the armchair. It certainly was a comfortable armchair. Perhaps she could claim it for her own personal use?
"Mmhmm. It seems those antique cards of yours are similar to my own." To which Mayuri produced her own deck of cards, featuring wolves and blades - very versatile, but with a central theme in mind. "That dream... I might know what you're talking about. It sounds a bit weird, but I believe I saw your face there as well, Gareth. There was the Earth, and ethereal clouds which drifted beneath our feet the colour of purple. Yes! And then, a voice, resounding in authority called out to us, calling upon its chosen heroes to fulfill their duty! Figures approached a respected individual, embracing them, before..."

"... Darkness..."
She sunk her head in shame once she realised she had begun to monologue. So much for a proper introduction...

---

@Strange Rodent

Rana Haq

Rana's eyes opened slowly, a welcome change to her usual snapping awake. That was an unusual dream. But not unpleasant. A welcome change from the fire and fury, the rubble, the screaming, the water, so much water. She sat up, her small futon pushed up against the corner of her tiny one-room apartment. While Shumi Entertainment Media had provided her with room and board, it was only temporary. They had secured this apartment for her, enrolled her in the Academy, gotten her back on her feet, and gave her a head start by finding her a low-paying part-time job working at a convenience store. It was enough. She could take care of herself from now on. She had to.

---

After an uneventful journey to school and the first few classes, Rana sat at her desk, eating her meager lunch alone. She flipped through her phone, a necessity, courtesy of Shumi Entertainment Media. She checked her phone during her breaks as a habit. it usually involved opening it, seeing no new notifications, and closing it. She checked it only because her coworkers and manager at the convenience store sometimes had requests. She noticed an email from an unknown sender and read it. She subconsciously began playing with the amber ring on her finger, the last keepsake she had of her mother. The email mentioned cards. Was that what that stack of things was that she had found in her apartment? She had, on a whim, taken them with her. She wondered where they had come from, if it was some sort of prank, or a gift from Shumi Entertainment Media. The email had said to meet to get more cards. Rana was unsure if she wanted more cards. Was the email from SEM? Was this something they needed her to do? Seemingly unprompted, she wondered if this had anything to do with the dream, but banished the thought. She shouldn't read too much into the one fantastical dream she had had in years. It was probably just a sign that she was moving on. That the trauma's hold on her was loosening. One could only hope that such memories will fade in time.

Yet after lunch, she slowly made her way towards the common room. It wouldn't hurt to see what this was about. It could be important. Maybe the cards belonged to SEM, and they needed to be returned. After all, their business was in entertainment, which would include games such as these cards.

---

Just nothing would work! Stella sat restlessly wasting away at the library table for what felt like hours. She was awful at this sort of work— not that that was a surprise by any means. Stella always did her best work at home, but today was the one day she dared try something different. What a mistake. As time went on, Stella realized the endeavor might not have been an entirely fruitless venture at all. At least she could entertain herself as she clandestinely observed the goings-on of her fellow students. This might have been the first time since Stella had come to Shumi Island that those students got the chance to see her for more than a class period, but as Stella's time wasting went on, she realized she went wholly unrecognized. Was she surprised? No, of course not. She had barely talked to her classmates. Why would they approach her if she wasn't willing to make the effort?

Stella shook the strangely self-critical thoughts from her head only to glance down towards her cellphone. Alongside the cruelty of her phone's blunt '0 notifications' message, Stella was also hit with the realization that she hadn't looked at the clock in hours. A quick surveying glance around the library revealed that Stella was alone save for the idle librarian paying her no mind. The girl brought a hand up to rub her forehead a bit. As much as it was time wasted, Stella knew that nothing more interesting could have taken its place. Nonetheless, she started packing up like the time mattered and she had places to be. She'd have been ready to stand up and make haste for her apartment, but something halted her quick initiative to get out of school as quickly as possible. With all of her notebooks and supplies readily put away, one thing lingered on the table: a bulging envelope placed just next to where she was sitting.

A quick glance left and right revealed no one to farther question about the origin and owner of the envelope. People had come and gone from the communal work table as Stella had been there. Had one of them left the envelope behind? Stella had only wished that it was only a case of misplaced belongings, as that would have meant she could just leave it for someone else to deal with, but the envelope was placed just next to where she was sitting. To place it there without her noticing was by no means an easy task. Matters were made more complex as Stella picked up the package, weighing its contents in her hands. It was then that she noticed the short command inscribed on the letter's reverse side.

"Open", just "Open". That was all she— or whoever the letter's intended recipient was meant to work with. With another quick glance towards the library's sole other occupant, Stella couldn't resist. Normally she would merely set down the envelope and continue on her way, but curiosity seemed to have finally got the best of her. After all, maybe the envelop was meant for her. Finally rising from the seat and starting towards the doors, she pried open the package...

---

Stella sat up with an inelegant sigh of defeat. Still wrapped in innumerous blankets, she writhed a bit on her bed. Another rude awakening just to go to school. That was Stella's cycle, and however much she wanted to break it, she had to get to Catalyst before her indulgence in her thoughts made her late. And so the cycle continued as Stella went about her day to day preparations with minimal haste around her tiny apartment. It was by no means a palace, but it contained all Stella needed to spend most of her life there. Of course, her mere presence in the minimalist, messy home constantly reminded her how much she yearned for change in her life.

It was only an hour or so after her awakening from the escapist tales that played out in her dreams when Stella was at the doors ready to head off. The walk to Catalyst was short, but offered the student some time with her thoughts. It was in those moments of silent solace that Stella found herself thinking back to the plain envelope in her bag— now no longer sealed.

Cards... Just cards. After all that suspense and expectations, it was just a package with some obscure cards. Admittedly, Stella felt a little bad she'd taken it. Whoever was expecting the package would definitely have appreciated them more. She did think the cards were interesting, but she was never a great TCG player. Stella continued to palm the envelope in her hands. For a moment, though, she paused in her stride just peering at the object in her hands. A closer glance revealed words scrawled on the inside of the envelope. It wasn't a long message, just a room number— something Stella could only decipher as being a method to find the package's original owner, and that was all she needed.

As slow as the day was, that simple mission she had given herself— to return the cards— somehow made the whole day different. The cycle had been broken. Classes dragged, school children buzzed left and right, all was usual, but Stella had something to look forward to. Everything was just a bit more uplifted. So when her lunch finally ended, Stella didn't need to idle her hours away in the library or scurry home before she was bothered by another group of school-goers. She had her destination, and with haste she made her way there. Much to her surprise, it was just a plain common room. Nonetheless, this would be the place a club or group of friends would meet to play cards if they were there. Upon arrival, Stella was just able to glimpse another student, seemingly destined for the same destination. She paused, briefly checking that the room number was correct before stepping up to the door alongside the younger student, propping it open to allow entrance to the both of them.

"Sorry... Is there a club or something meeting here? I might have found something that someone lost..."

"Sorry... Is there a club or something meeting here? I might have found something that someone lost..."

Rana Haq

Rana looked up at Stella with piercing, cold, dead eyes. "...don't know..." she said monotonously, before heading right inside. A few steps into the room, Rana added, "...I received a message..."

Seeing Mr. Nishiki inside, Rana pulled out her cards. "...these...?" She gestured, pointing them towards the teacher. She suddenly turned towards Soleil, wondering if the 'lost item' that she was returning were also cards, and suddenly, something didn't feel quite right.