---

While everyone around him moved on, Max never left his motionless position, his eyes still locked on the corpse of Felix. They were all discussing things like normal…while there’s a fucking corpse in the room, the corpse of a friend. Not every word went over his head however, and when he heard of a potential blackened, something snapped; something special, something…important to his being.

”I didn't do it! Words that he had heard a countless times.

”I didn't do it! More than he could ever bare to hear.

”You're going to kill us all! Liar.

---

Now they were getting somewhere! Alice kept her arms crossed in thought as she listened to the others piece the puzzle together, yet her confidence in them - Lucy, more specifically - began to dwindle down as the infinite prodigy began to suspect Bliss as the real killer. Once again, the recon wasn't sure about that. She was about to speak up, till she was silenced again by something very suprising to her.

Alice was left stunned as Max started lashing out at everyone in grief. Her eye twitched once the infinite cop was finished venting his anger out on the other infinites. Yet instead of yelling back, Alice started to laugh. It wasn't forced or maniacal. Just normal, amused laughter. "Hahahahah! Wow! Isn't this a suprise!" She managed to say between her giggling. While she seemed fine, her behavior was unnerving, unreasonable at best. "I really expected the tyrant to throw a tantrum, like before, but you? The cop of all people?" Her laughter grew a bit louder, till she calmed down, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Call me as mad as a hatter all you want, but all joking aside," The recon leaned forward from her podium. "Next person to try and start a fight is gonna get their ass kicked once we're done here, K?" She looked around the court, grinning darkly, before seemingly returning to her normal self.

"Now, I actually do have something to point out." Alice added. "Bliss said it was Mercy's idea for her to dance with that certain umbrella, doesn't that seem odd to you? Like, what if someone poisoned the tip and had Mercy give it to her?" She asked.

”Alice, there is no reason to go searching for the culprit. I found her right here. Of course she's going to make suggestions to shift blame onto someone else.” Lucy adjusted her... shades?

”Cyrus, like, have you even been following the case?” Jezebel folded her arms. ”Like, I know you're willing to kill us all for Krista, but I totally didn't realize you thought Bliss was bitchin' too. And like I said before, I left most of the stuff there to fool you noids! And Max never went back to his room, your truth bullet was just written poorly.”

”Bliss's alibi until 4:30 doesn't mean squat, sorry.” Lucy folded her arms, still holding her papers. ”I don't think the mundinol was ever used as a poison. Bliss could have poisoned everyone right at the party.”

”Also, if Max is totally innocent, he and mercy, like, soooooo have a valid reason to ask for that stuff. Just think about it, noid! He's a cop, she's a doctor. They were probably trying to make mundinol for it's intended use. They probably had blood samples out to test it with. It wouldn't surprise me if some got on his badge.” Jezebel looked at the now enraged Max and shook her head. But she was still smiling. ”Wanna elaborate, big boy?”

Lucy adjusted her glasses before puffing out her chest. ”As for the badge versus umbrella argument, Monokuma said that the same weapon was used. Or at least that the wounds were identical. Because he's acting as our forensic expert, I'm sure he knows how an autopsy works and was able to measure the depth and-”

”I actually just looked at the video footage.” Monokuma lowered his head. ”You kinda need to be in the mood to do an autopsy.”

”W-well there you have it! It was either the badge or the umbrella, and we know mundinol couldn't have killed them both.” Lucy turned to the accused. ”Anyway Bliss, why don't you tell everyone what happened today?”



Bliss took a deep breath.”I-I woke up at eight, and had breakfast with everyone in the dining room. Krista, Max, Faith, Felix, Daimyon and I were discussing the party.” Bliss sighed. ”Around 9-9:30, I started playing with Caora on the beach. He had a fever though, So I went to the pharmacy to get him some medicine. Around 11, I took him to the study and read a picture book with him.” Bliss hugged herself. ”At 12, I made us something to eat, and at 1, I started cooking for the party with Daimyon.” She closed her eyes. ”I haven't been feeling very well, and it caught up to me around 4:30. I rested in my room until it was time to start the concert.” She opened her eyes again to look at everyone. Her eyes trailed over to Felix's corpse, and she quickly looked away. ”I was stationed at the buffet table between 6 and 7, which was when I left my post to attend the party.”

”You forgot a few parts.” Lucy pushed her glasses up on her nose with a smile. ”Namely the part where you read the book, grabbed the poison, infected mercy, then used the umbrella to stage a double murder at the party. And the fact that I exposed you.”

”I didn't do any of that!” Bliss cried.



Denis folded his arms and shook his head. ”Not sound right...”

”Yea, same.” Denis looked at Lucy. ”If Pr-, Um, Bliss needed book to know about poison, why she able to grab poison first? But Krista, book being in quarantine still not 100% fact, and Jezebel no take all litonix for Mercy.”



Lucy locked eyes with Krista, and the court room grew quiet. She slowly took her shades off and set them on the podium.”Are you saying.... I was wroooooong!?!?!?” Lucy's hands flew in the air, and her papers shot all over the place like a house of cards in the wind. ”How could I, the infinite prodigy, make a mistake!?!?!?”

”If you never failed, you totally never tried.” Jezebel winked at her companion.



Bliss placed a hand on her chest and visibly relaxed her shoulders.”Thank you Krista.” She was too exhausted to smile.

Aghast, Lucy scrambled to look through her notes again. At least what few notes still remained on her podium. ”But then who could have done it? If Bliss is telling the truth, then who did Mercy meet with in her room? Unless...”

Jezebel shrugged. ”Well, if everyone here is telling the truth, and the murderer is a liar, she totally could have been in her room by herself, right?”

”We think Mercy invited someone to room entire time.” Denis shrugged his shoulders. ”Maybe she lie and in room by herself.”

”It's like Cyrus said, Mercy totally asked for the litonix, She asked for some books, and she so gave Bliss the umbrella. Apparently.” Jezebel giggled.

”Seriously!?!?!?”

After his attempt at a deductive remark, Daimyon was once again relegated to the sidelines. The focal point of the discussion turned to the blood-tipped badge; the Infinites wanted to make the seemingly out-of-place clue fit into the grand narrative. In accordance with that effort, the sword of Damocles mostly hung above Max, though Bliss was not fully cleared of suspicion yet. Despite theories of various possibility swirling in his head, Daimyon decided to remain silent and not point fingers at either of them until something decisive came up and instead try to keep up with the discussion. It was not the most difficult task, for the case seemed to be sputtering ahead at a sluggish pace.

That is, until tragedy struck.

Felix expired right in front of the group's eyes. The free runner who Daimyon had so diligently practised with before the concert and who he had so merrily chatted with at the party collapsed from his podium, falling into a pool of his own blood, his life robbed from him prematurely, horribly. Exactly like Mercy's. The shock kept the word within the poet, which then burst into his mind, sparking twisted inspiration there. He took his pen and gave the words another, better deserved outlet.



Though the letters and short lines flowed freely onto the paper, when Daimyon was done, he had to realise that he had already missed plenty of new information. The discussion leaders spoke up one after the other as Felix's gruesome death appeared to serve as a jolt to the weary Infinites, pushing them to solve the case and take revenge on the villain responsible for the murders. It was another inspiring scene, but the poet fought off his urge to put it into words, instead taking the effort to collect the missing pieces of information. First, they determined the unlikely murder weapon: an umbrella, which Felix had accidentally rammed into during the dance. The poet shivered as a deathly chill ran down his spine. He was, against his own wishes, already imagining what would have happened if he was the clumsy one. His feeling of terror only intensified when Noel accused Mercy, the other victim, of murderous intent.

“Impossible...” he muttered, trying to convince himself more than anyone else. He could not shake the terrifying idea that he could have been doomed if he simply had chosen a different dance partner until Max's furious roar shook him back to attention. The police officer was the most distraught over Felix's death; Daimyon could see the overpowering grief turn into tears in his eyes. He wondered about the two's dynamic, about all the aspects of the free runner he did not get to know and how he never would get another chance now. It was perhaps the realisation that saddened him the most.

The accusing eye turned back towards Bliss, the owner of the deadly umbrella, and she was forced to defend herself once more.
“Yes! She was with me throughout said time, I can vouch for that! I also do not believe she had done anything malicious in the kitchen...” Daimyon tried to back the nanny up, though his conviction was also shaken. Fortunately, Krista managed to clear her name shortly after.

And all of a sudden, they ran out of suspects, leaving only one, distressing explanation: that Mercy planned and carried out the murder all by herself. There was a moment of silence as the group tried to process the idea, in which the poet found it fit to speak up.

“I...don't understand,” he admitted with a frown on his face. “Though it revolts my heart, I am willing to accept the idea that Mercy could have plotted the heinous act that took Felix's life. However, the doctor herself also perished! How could she die if she was the one who set everything up? ‘Live by the sword, die by the sword’, they say...could it have been a mere accident with the fatal weapon? Is there truly no one else involved in this matter...?”

Cyrus had been right, Bliss's alibi had indeed shed a lot more light on the case. His defense had been a desperate shotgun of statements, but one point definitely made it through. The power of agreement came through! Hearing Bliss’s alibi, there seemed to be only one logical conclusion. “So, as Krista and Denis pointed out, it seems indeed very unlikely that Bliss is the killer.” He grinned. “This means that her words now hold truth, which brings to light a very troubling thing indeed.”

Cyrus started to explain calmly. “We have concluded that only the umbrella was used as the murder weapon. A combination of the two is not possible, the wounds are not enough alike. ” Cyrus triumphantly referred back to his other earlier question, as if he had planned it all. This had been more luck than anything, but it was a valuable confirmation nonetheless. ”And Bliss has stated that it was Mercy that gave her this umbrella, we have very little reason to doubt her since we just deduced her unlikeliness to be the killer, henceforth I believe this.” He then put his hand to his chin, pondering. ”And she said this happened several days ago, and she even suggested to dance with it. So she likely knew of the party. How she learned of the surprise party before it happened in the first place is a mystery, maybe Felix told her? Regardless, it also explains how Mercy could’ve planned a murder during a surprise event. Furthermore, she could’ve had a similar umbrella in her room, giving her ample time during her ‘meeting’ to fabricate a wound on her hand and bandage it.”
Cyrus was far from done with his explanation, now it was time for the true evidence. ”But it’s the timeframe that is truly concerning. I should not have to point out to anyone what the symptoms are of the horseman virus.” He smirked. ”In a span of several days, the infected should be reduced to a zombie-like state. Even if Thomas said Mercy seemed to shamble slightly, I don’t she looked anything close to an actual zombie. Therefore we must conclude that she did this out of her own free will.”

The case finally began to unravel. ”The book, the poison, having Felix crash against the umbrella, those could all be attributed to the suggestive abilities of the horseman virus. However, this can simply not be true for an event that took place so long ago. I therefore conclude that Mercy prepared the murder of Felix out of her own free will. And she most definitely was the one that threw him against the table.” His face writhed with disgust, as he glanced towards Felix, then to Max. How would the man react learning he would be unable to enact vengeance on his brother’s killer?

But had Mercy truly killed herself? He couldn’t say exactly how, but she had. ”The announcement sounded for both Felix and Mercy, they had the same killer. If we conclude that Mercy killed Felix, Mercy undoubtedly killed herself. This is simple fact.” Was there any other possibility? There was definitely still room for questioning, as not all questions had been answered. But right now the evidence seemed to line up into one unanimous direction.





”Hold up, hold up!” The plague doctor had done herself in? It made sense, but there were still so many things unclear! ”But when would she have poisoned the umbrella, she only acquired it today! And how did… when did she poison herself?” If she did it to herself on purpose, she could’ve easily ingested it. But she was in company around both 4PM and 7PM, right? Someone must’ve seen her do something. Also, who was infected, then?

She then vehemently turned her attention to one person in particular. ”And you, how dare you mock a person who just lost their brother. Are you out of your mind!?” Her voice carried a venom that was most unfamiliar to the other infinites. Regardless, the recon’s behavior to Max had been simply unacceptable. ”So tell me, going to panic again? I hope you won’t mind me laughing at you this time.” Was this starting a fight? Yes, perhaps.

She continued to glare at Alice. ”Now, maybe be a useful little girl and tell us why your lunatic friend might actually do this. Tell me, why would she kill not just herself, but also her dear friend and Max’s little brother? Start talking, or I’ll be the one kicking your ass so hard you’ll be happy you’re stuck in a hospital.” She hissed.

”Oh, now you're one to talk Noel. If there's anyone around here that's insensitive to the feelings of others, it's the relationship ending, war filming, drama mongering reporter we love to hate so much!” the bear giggled. ”Well, It's a little early for story time. But if you guys really think you found the killer, you'd better vote. Time's running out for all of you!”

And so everyone pulled their lever. A dart board with everyone's face on it popped up out of the center of the floor. It had a portrait of every infinite positioned over the score markers. With a thump, darts flew out of the wall and smashed into the dart board, knocking off every picture but Max's.

”Woops!” Monokuma bent over and picked up Bliss's picture. ”Shoot, where is it?” After a few more seconds of crawling around, he picked up a picture of Mercy and plastered it over Max's picture. ”Wow! You guys are amazing! The only one to get it wrong was Felix. The silly guy didn't even lock in a vote!”



Shooting a quick annoyed glare at Noel, Alice's expression turned into an amused smirk when Monokuma called the reporter out. "Took the words right out of my mouth." She said, pulling down the lever on her podium to vote. It confused her when the dartboard had everyone's portraits knocked off except Max's, but understood that it was a mistake as the bear hung her friend's picture over the cop's.

"Uh, now's not the time to joke, Killgood." The recon spoke up after he mentioned that Felix didn't vote. "But why would Mercy commit murder suicide? Even I don't know. I-I thought she wasn't that kind of person..." she asked the bear.

”First of all, It's suicide-murderer. We can't forget that this is a special case where the killer died before their victim did.” Monokuma cleared his throat. ”Next of all, the assumption everyone had when you blasted the motive out all over public TV was that Mercy was mentally sound to begin with. Unfortunately that was not the case. You see, she had a bothersome condition called schizophrenia. I'm sure she must have shown some signs. Recalling events that never happened, doing things that didn't make sense?” The bear paced across the court floor. ”I mean, the whole reason why she was administered to Axis-Mundi was because she stabbed herself with a syringe filled with nastiness. That doesn't sound like something a trained doctor does, does it?” The bear giggled like a child. ”Self harm was a big thing for Mercy. I wouldn't be surprised if she dreamed about that mask every night. Working on the mundinol with Max is probably why she picked that type of poison specifically. She brought a vile of Litonix into her room before even trying the mask on. Don't feel bad about not finding it. Those glass vials flushes pretty easy once they're broken. I'm unsure of why she took the police officer's badge. Perhaps she was planning something much more elaborate, or maybe she was just following her spontaneous thoughts.” Monokuma waved his paws around. ”Once she got to the party, she peeled back her bandage and swabbed the umbrella's tip with a soaked gauze. She then stabbed her hand, and put her bandage back over her it. Bliss's attention was divided between Krista and serving food, so she had her opportunity. Maybe it was the horseman virus, or maybe a small part of her wanted to end her life before she could hurt anyone else. Regardless of her intention, we all know what happened next...”

Alice didn't want to believe what Killgood said, but in the end, it all made sense. "Like I said, the badge could've been used to try and frame Max, almost did." She added, lowering her head. "So, what now? We don't have a blackened to execute."

”Ahh, you're all about tradition aren't you girl? That's why you're my favorite!” Monokuma jumped back into his seat. ”We may not have a blackened, but we have a special guest star who volunteered for the position!”

"Oh, really? And who's our dear substitute?" The recon asked, her curiosity peaked.

”You wanna know so badly? Why don't we just take a look?” Monokuma raised his hammer.”It's punishment time!”

A large jumbotron lowered in the center of the court so that everyone could watch the execution.

---

How cruel.

How unfortunate.

How... hopeless.

Zachary, much like the rest of the cast, had a very difficult time keeping up with this case. He'd offered what input he could, yet his involvement, in this case, was fairly minimal. Except for some small facts that ultimately seemed pointless, he may as well not have bothered trying to contribute at all. This case in which their lives were staked on. The frustration of helplessness was very present in the young man. But... something else was too. A deep sadness.

To learn that Mercy Evergreen was in the state she was in was heartbreaking. She appeared so nice, and even though he'd only been privy to the fact she even had a face days ago, Zachary still felt pain knowing that an ally of his was suffering. Worse yet, Felix was essentially collateral damage in this case. Another life that did not need to be snuffed out. The fact that he perished in the courtroom was very concerning. When they returned here, would that happen again? Zachary feared such a thought.

But perhaps the saddest part of all of this was the fact that Felix left somebody behind. Someone who quite dearly loved him. The Infinite Police Officer was apparently his brother, and it was quite obvious the death was affecting him. If Zachary was braver, if he was a stronger person, then maybe he would be close enough to the cop to express his condolences. Yet this was not the case. In his outburst, The Infinite Police Officer revealed that nobody here must have truly gotten close to him. At least, nobody still standing. Perhaps Zachary was overthinking it, but if that was indeed the case, then he may have even pitied the man. Experiencing loss in this place was now par for the course, but to lose an actual family member and have nobody to truly lean on?

Of course, despite the sorrow Zachary felt for the people who'd perished, there was at least the comfort in knowing Nariko was eliminated. He wasn't sure just how concrete this 'execution' was, but the less murderous robots, the better. Especially ones that trick their 'friends' and confine them against their wills. Good riddance to that bucket of bolts. Now if only Davis would follow suit.

"You look worse in person, maybe you should go back to hiding behind a screen." is what Zachary really desired to spit at Davis. He ended up keeping his mouth shut in realization that it would achieve nothing but perhaps giving his captor the satisfaction of knowing he was getting to the young archer. Instead, he merely glared at the man as he spoke. Other people would likely speak up and insult the man for him, but Zachary would prefer to just get back to the 'normal life' of their confinement.

When would all of this killing end?

Everything almost blurred out for a second as he took long, labored breaths. The Blood Donor knew he had been way out of line, but it wasn't like Ice was the most self-controlled person either. He hoped Alice wouldn't hate him for this, but he also hoped this would make Max actually pay attention and do something.

The time he had talked alone with Max had been breezy and nice. A bit embarrassing, a lot out of his comfort zone, but his underlying problems with any police force would drag down any kinship he might make with the Infinite Police Officer. Somehow he would have to accept that, especially with everyone in the room probably thinking he wanted to kill the poor shmuck.

His resigned resolve was slightly tainted by Max's lack of action. An apology? And something as short and stupid as that?! His throat filled with insult after insult, but after grabbing at the tie around his throat he started to calm down. Now was not the time for personal differences, now was the time to shut up and pay attention, for Mercy's sake at the very least.

Voice started spilling over one another again, Ice's eyes tried to zero in on one speaker at a time, but with everyone trying to get a say, Ice could only really focus on the headache sprouting at his temple. That is... Until Felix started vomiting blood. Adrenaline pumped fast through Ice's filled veins, the blue prominent on the backs of his hands, but there was no light. Their doctor was dead, nothing could be done. Ice clenched his teeth as he watched Felix die in what must have been the same why that the Duck had. All this death, all this- this- It was because of him, the one who started it all!

As Felix stopped moving, Ice stared up at Monokuma with a fiery gaze. Davis had to be watching from somewhere. His veins started to ice over and his mind would start to get red with hate, become unfeeling and just try to kill the bastard when-

"SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP."

Well.

Well, well, well. While emotions mixed and bounced like a Pong game with multiple balls, one thought filled his head. 'At least he's finally showing some backbone.' After that thought, guilt encompassed him. How could he think something like that when it sounded like Max had been going through the exact same thing he had all those years ago? How could he be like all the others? His nails scratched hard into the wood as his fists went white. The thought of him turning into one of them rotted and digusted him to the core. This was what the game was doing to him, because really, if you live too long you'll become a villian, right?

After guilt came sympathy, followed by frustration. Did he not realize that they were doing their best to find Felix's murderer? Ice wanted to shout back that maybe he should follow his own bloody advice, but that would only give this blackened hunter the satisfaction. Ice held his tongue, his glare switching from empathy to anger, to judgemental. Though he had to admitt that Max's snarky bit at the end had a great ring to it.

A whole slew of emotions sprayed over him as he heard a laugh coming from beside him. Ice shifted his gaze over Alice and his heart stopped for a second. Her words didn't sound at all mad, but her laughter put him a little on edge. She had to be hurting with what had happened and how everyone was accusing Mercy. He wanted to reach out for her, but her laughter died out almost as quickly as it came. Ice wasn't one for talking about feelings, but he did want to have an honest chat with the recon soon. All this emotion she must be bottling up inside couldn't be good for her or anyone.

And with that the case was quickly coming to a close. Something was wrong with Mercy in the head and no one had quite seen how mad she really was. She'd gone out with a bang and dragged poor cat boy into the explosion with her. Heavy weights dragged at Ice's chest as he listened to Monokuma's conclusion, but setting that aside, Noel had threatened someone Ice cared about.

"Noel, don't." His voice came out short and warningly. They were all lashing out because of this bloody turn of events and he didn't want to fight with the Reporter. Right now he was torn between jumping off his platform and destroying as many monokumas and sisters as he could to get to Davis, or just ignoring it all and going to sleep. Wounds opened with the sight of Allie's grave stone, but he couldn't muster the wrath that he felt for the sickening robot to come up as he watched her try again and again to destroy herself. She was successful in the end and that's what mattered.

He appeared and that's what almost drove him over the edge. He volted over the stand and raced over to the bars. Ice slipped his chain out of his sleeve as he went, holding onto the end and throwing it as far as it could go. But it didn't reach... and that was probably a good thing. It was caught somewhere wrapped around his waist and Ice knew it would be futile anyway. He grabbed onto the bars and pulled, wanted to vent in some way, shape, or form.

He knew what he was doing was just making Davis enjoy himself even better, but he couldn't stop himself. "Such a fine dictator to grace us with your presence, but where's the fan fair? The shaking hands and kissing babies? We can't exactly worship the ground you stand on without being given the chance. You sick-" The thoughts of Aleecia and dozen of other bodies shown over his eyes as he glared at Davis. Bile slipped up his throat and he spat it on the ground. "There is no such thing as perfection, Hairball. And we'll be ready for you on the other side of this clusterfuck of a game when you finally run out of toys."

---

Why wasn't she supprised. While Alice thought the volunteer would be one of them, more or less Ellie, it wasn't a shock that Nariko was gonna get executed. Once the carnage sister appeared on the screen, the recon's eye twitched in bloodlust. The reminder of the night she failed to protect some of the others, failed to help kill the mechanical bitch, made the recon dig her nails into her arms again, holding back the urge to yell at the screen, and call Nariko a hypocrite.

She slowly calmed down as she watched the robot kill herself, over and over, till there was nothing left. It somehow gave her a grim sense of satisfaction, knowing that she has one less carnage sister to tolerate. The same grin she wore in her fit of laughter made a quick return, before it turned into a scowl as Davis appeared in the middle of the courtroom. "Tch. Bastard..." Alice mumbled, keeping her arms crossed.

Her atention was turned to Ice, who had ran over to the cage the mastermind was in. "Hey- Hey, HEY!!!" the recon sprinted after him, trying to pry the blood donor away from Davis. "Ice- Isaiah, look at me! We'll get our revenge later, just calm down!!" Alice told Ice, before looking over to the mastermind with an unamused expression. "He's not worth throwing insults to, trust me." she added, looking back to the blood donor with a soft expression.

---

The rest of the trial went by in a flash, and true to his word, those who were still fooling around or obstructing the trial were send straight to hell, for to him, they were dead. And yet, Alice’s distorted laugh and subsequent attitude towards it all still caught Max off guard. As much as he wanted to resent her for it, it seemed like there was too much wrong with Alice to take her serious, so he simply ignored it.

But then the blackened was revealed. Mercy; both the victim and the murderer. Many conflicting thoughts raced through his mind as he was watching the execution of a dumb robot which was somehow supposed to satisfy the crowd. Such a coward; to take her own life before ever hoping to be reprimanded. Such an abhorrent monster, to murder Felix, and then don’t even try to get out, letting him die in complete vain. Such a tragedy; that the human mind could be twisted so badly.

Even as Ice lost his temper once again, Max had already lost the adrenaline; the anger; the spark to keep him going. All that was left was a husk of his former self. However; there was one emotion that was left lingering in his heart.

Resentment. Max was no longer going to apprehend Davis for the crimes he had committed. No, the only possible outcome now had Max’s hands gripped tightly around conquests neck, squeezing until the only sound emanating from that mastermind was the pop of his neck. There was no use trying to protect anyone anymore, for it was only a matter of time before they would all turn on each-other, for that was the curse that this place forced on all who entered.

However, seeing Ice and Alice fueled by the same emotion that now Powered Max, he saw an opportunity; a means to an end, and for that, the husk of a man now strolled towards Ice.

“Matthews…Masson-“ He said, his voice so soft it was almost whispering. “If you truly seek revenge,” His eyes peered at those of Ice, something so dark and sinister within them that it could turn his irises the shade of red. “Go to the cave where it all started tomorrow.”

And with that, he walked away.

---

For a moment, Denis wanted to be the hero. He wanted to stand up to Davis, and maybe retort with some sort of clever quip that would make Denis look super cool and Davis really stupid. He wanted to stand up to this oppressor, who was putting the Infinite's through this insatiable nightmare. He wanted to do something, anything to this monster in front of him.

"That's..." But Denis Orlov couldn't find the words to express what he was feeling. Back when he lived in western (or, geographically eastern but culturally western) Russia, he might've exclaimed 'Yob vashu mat’!', which would have been a flowery insult to Davis's mother. Unfortunately for Denis, there was about twenty reasons he could not use such a vulgar insult. He was constantly reminding himself to stop staring at those reasons too.

"I..." Denis's eyes started to water up, and he began to shift in his spot. Looking around, Denis began to find this scene suffocatingly familiar. It's far too often that Denis didn't understand why or what was going on, and the fact that Denis could barely understand what had happened during this trial had put a huge mental strain on him. He wasn't stupid — or, well, he wasn't that stupid, but it was still difficult for him to keep up with the exuberant progression towards veracity by the other Infinite's.

He thought back to his exploits as the Infinite Spy and steadied himself. Denis was a physical worker. He couldn't get upset that he didn't understand what was going on now. He just needed someone to tell him what was going on, and everything could work out. But... What kind of hero didn't even know what was going on even after the conflict was over.

Denis looked around again, and his eyes settled on Felix's slumped over corpse. It should've been obvious, right? Mercy was acting strange since the very beginning, and this motive reeked of the Infinite Plague Doctor. Denis began to grind his teeth, and his composure began to visibly break down. He slumped forward and stared at his podium, his shoulders slowly hunching further and further forwards. Denis should've seen this from the start. He was the Infinite Spy! He was suppose to stop the murders before they happened, but all he ended up doing was making a few odd comments about contradictions even a pre-schooler Read: you're all dumber than pre-schoolers could've pointed out. If he couldn't figure it out now, he would just end up back here every time: confused and upset at the end of a trial.

Denis raised his head. He no longer wanted to say anything. He felt annoyed, and this trial had begun to tire him out. He wished Monokuma would get rid of Felix's corpse, and then Denis wouldn't have to keep staring at this mark of his failure.

And that's when Denis heard Max. Someone so vitriolic that his words nearly made Denis cringe with discomfort. Someone who had not only failed during this trial, but... lost a brother?

Denis shot up, and forcefully plastered a wide smile on his face. His teeth were immaculate and white, and for a moment, he looked like a little more than the degenerate he had been made himself out to be. As long as Denis could force himself to smile, he could force himself to stay afloat.

The truth was, everyone must've been feeling the same way as him; but Denis didn't have any emotional investment in this trial. Of course, it wouldn't make any sense for Denis to be upset when he had lost nothing personal on this day! Max had lost a brother, Alice had lost her best friend, Krista had her party ruined, the list just goes on and on. Denis had no right to mope around when he should've been one of the least affected by this trial. In fact, he had a duty to not mope around. If everyone else was feeling the same way that Denis was feeling right now, then who would be there to make them not feel that way?

And... Denis supposed everyone wanted to be a hero in this trial. Everyone had to have wanted to stand up to Davis, to be the one person who says something special, who can express the infinite's animosity in words. All Denis could do is keep smiling, and look back at Davis. Denis still wanted to be a hero, but he couldn't find the words that expressed the frustration and visceral anger the infinite's were feeling. After all, Denis was more of a physical fighter, not a verbal one. So instead, Denis just spoke from the heart.

"Davis, I cannot forgive you for tonight." Denis slammed one fist into his chest above his heart, and used his other hand to point at Davis. He spoke both clearly, and passionately. "Tonight... You made a whole bunch of beautiful women cry! And making a pretty girl cry is unforgivable, so I'll definitely make you pay for that!"

^{vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/bokunoher…}

There were quiet murmurs among the infinites, and a few shouts to Davis from some of the louder ones. But the mastermind did not respond. He made eye contact with no one, he didn't smile, and he most certainly didn't answer anyone.

When Max got up to walk away, he heard a gunshot, followed by something brushing against his nose. If he looked to the wall opposite of Davis, he would see a small bullet hole. If he looked inside the cage, he would see a carnage sister wearing glasses.

”Police officer.” The robot was holding a smoking handgun. ”The only way in and out of the court is using the roller-coaster. Surely you remember the fifty foot vertical drops on your way here?” She adjusted her glasses. ”The lowest rails are a hundred feet off the ground, which is not something you'd know since everything is shrouded in darkness. I doubt even your brother could have scaled such an obstacle.”

“I'm sure Emily and Thomas know who this is, but everyone else, this is Kyra.” Davis extended an arm towards the carnage sister. “She is one of the finest nurses this establishment has. Axis Mundi is the best hospital in the world, and our patients only get the best treatment.”

”I've actually appeared in this game before.” She turned to look at Cyrus. ”Politician, did you find your room satisfactory? It was in complete disarray when you left it. If you continue to experience these severe mood swings, we could start treating you with lithium. Though it would require some alterations to your diet. You would need to lower your salt consumption and increase your water intake.”

Davis paced around the new sister. “But I have come to do more than introduce your new caretaker.” he surveyed the infinites. “As a bonus for coming so far, I would like to give Krista a question. Perhaps not as precious as the phone call Justiciar stole from her, but there are no strings attached this time. Regardless of what you ask, I will answer honestly. ”

Krista didn't need to think. She immediately asked Davis if her brother was okay.

“You mean Herman Müller?” Davis smiled. “He is safe, far away from this place. Last I heard, he found the love of his life.”

“What a total waste.” Jezebel grumbled to herself. “That so shouldn't surprise anyone at this point. Bleh!”

Davis adjusted his vest. “Now if you excuse me...”

“Wait!” Emily cried out. “You just came here for that?” She leaned forwards. “Shouldn't you do something more special? Something for all of us?”

The mastermind folded his arms. “I gave Krista one question. If you think her question was selfish or underwhelming, you can take that up with her.”

“Just tell us why you're doing this!” Emily's eyes squinted shut. “It doesn't have to be an honest or satisfying answer, I just want us to have something. We deserve that much!”

But Davis didn't respond. He simply waited for the elevator to carry him below the trial floor. As soon as he was out of sight, the other carnage sisters arived.

Geina immidiately ran over to Felix's side. ”FUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuu...” She cried out before sinking to her knees. ”Daddy wouldn't let me save him!”

Willow sighed.”I can't believe that Nariko offered herself up. She'd been threatening to do it for years.”

Alexandria chuckled.”Golly gee willikers Willow, I thought that was you for a second!”

”Oh girls?” Monokuma hovered the mallet over the button. ”Daddy's job is really hard, and he needs you to focus and get these patients back where they belong.”

While the carnage sisters hurried everyone back into the roller coaster, Davis had safely slipped away into a room below.

“Well, seems everything's going according to plan. What did you think?”

The individual didn't move from his spot in the darkness. ”How boring.”


_{ty for art @Warpcircuit}

A lone woman sat up, conscious, inside an elevator that only seconds after she had huddled herself up against the wall had come to a defiant, heaving stop. She had her arms wrapped around her knees that were pulled close to her chest, leaving her slender frame a small, delicate slump against the very back wall of the seemingly shrinking chamber. Her vision still hazy, she rubbed her eyes once and then twice, feeling her heart beating in her ears. The rhythm brought her some form of peace. She closed her eyes, and counted alongside the soothing metronome.
In her mind, small white sheep jumped a fence in clockwork synchrony, harmonious with her heartbeat. One-two-three-four-two-two-three-four...
The announcement droned on around her, introducing Infinites new and old, dead and alive, but all having been in this particular murder game at Axis Mundi. She was another statistic. She would be one of them. Each lasted a grand total of thirty seconds, even those that were now dead.
If people were dying in this place, then would all that is left of her be a thirty second long description of who she was in this lifetime?
How...despairful.

Her melancholic, tired blue eyes flickered open again, and she finally hauled herself up with what seemed like great difficulty. On shaky legs and gripping the elevator's railing, her vision settled upon the unsettling sign painted across the doors.
ABANDON HOPE ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE.

...despairful.

And as if wishing for that nightmare to be over, and that small space to stop feeling like it was beating down on her and was soon to crush her, the elevator doors crept open like a delayed and staggering breath of fresh air. The redhead in the elevator took one step forward, immediately gasping at her knee buckling, as if from disuse. Just how long had she been unconscious? Or was she awake for very long before that? The psychomotor retardation kicking in was like a consuming blackness. But if anything, she would get herself out of this elevator first.
Her steps grew stronger and more certain, from one to two to four and then to ten, carrying Juliette Bourbon right out of the cramped elevator space and into the fluorescent lights illuminating the hospital hallway before her. Her eyes took a little while to adjust before her tired head lolled to the side. She had to shake it to right it again, and continued observing her surroundings. They were, for the most part, unassuming. It didn't even look like a hospital anymore, but a very bright white cellar. Was she transported somewhere? The last place she remembered falling asleep was Axis Mundi, but even though the area looked vaguely familiar...there were no windows and there was no natural light. If anyone had seen her, the colour of her skin would have appeared a three times paler pallor.

And suddenly, in all the quiet whiteness, there was noise.
Somewhere, the whirring of gears. Juliette swore she could hear it. The rolling of gears and the familiar grinding. But it wasn't a quiet, satisfying sound; rather a screech that signalled something coming to a very abrupt, very sudden stop.

And then there were footsteps. Some quick, and some slow. Some dragged their feet, and some may as well have been dragged themselves. Some walked in unison, and others walked off-beat. There were too many footsteps to discern how many people they belonged to, but if the Infinite Horologist had to guess, definitely more than ten. Fifteen maybe? Twenty? Were those many people even in this location at one time?

Still, her voice was quiet as she called out into the emptiness from where the sound came, “Hello...? Who is there?”
This was accompanied by banging on the steel elevator doors beside her to emphasise her words. If the sound of her voice couldn't reach anyone, the sound of the metal definitely would. It was definitely difficult to muster up the strength. The one thing that made her continue?
The image of a maliciously grinning black and white bear in the back of her mind, taunting her with a voice that was so unassuming it sounded like nails on a chalkboard because of what came out of its mouth. She banged on the door harder.
“Please, if anyone is there…! Please, I need to know...what day is it? What time is it? And just where am I?”

Something seemed a bit off like it hadn't been the last time. Something that Noah couldn't put his finger on. He felt around the small elevator, taking a whiff here and there, sitting in several different positions. Even did a handstand until he realized what was missing.

He was alone.

Well, it was very dissimilar from the last time he had been in an elevator such as this. Last time he had woken up in an elevator, the Biologist had sat next to a sobbing old lady, she had taken all of his attention. Noah had been horrified of whether she would suffocate herself to death with her own fear. After examining her, Noah could tell whoever had taken them had pulled quite a few wires out of her body, so there could have been problems with her lungs already. And she had screamed rather loudly when the two-toned ursidae had showed up on the mounted television.

But now he was completely alone. Again, this wasn't too unexpected as he had seen Infinites arrive by themselves before, had sat outside the elevator doors after each trial and gone through his rudimentary speel, but this was the first time he had been alone in many hours with how long the last trial had taken...

Noah didn't feel very rested at all, but that always seemed a side affect of chemically-induced sleep. The lack of REM sleep always was a big pill to swallow for the rest of his body, but the Biologist would have to deal with it somehow. He slipped back into a sitting position with his back rested against the wall, his head tilted up to see the screen as he waited for the announcement to begin.

The boy fiddled around with the items in his pockets to see if anything was missing from the last game, hoping his things would be returned... But that came to be a disappointment. His set of earplugs and wire were missing, expected, but poorly received. They had been stowed away as evidence in the last Class Trial, so now he appeared to be weaponless as well as prone to loud music.

The TV's static brought Noah back to the world around him. Faces, infinites, and names slipped on and off and Noah tried his best to get as much of the information as he could to stick in his brain. After leaving the elevator he would have to find paper or else the primacy effect would be null. The two that stood out the most to him were complete opposites: Faith Lambert and Thomas Herringson. Intrigue immediately sprouted in Thomas because of his scientific background, but really, Noah wanted to know the ins and outs to how Faith matched people up. What was the thought process behind it and could it be matched with a formula

Knowledge of the victims would be imperative as well, especially how they died. Did the group in this game get along and what were the relationships between each other? Were they standing together as one or had they created factions? A small smile fixed on Noah's face as he finished collecting as much data as he could into his brain. Buildings were boring with steorotypical designs and blueprints, but finding out how people ticked was always a fascination for the small scientist.

As the doors opened and Noah moved past the words "ABANDON HOPE ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE", Noah couldn't help but feel his chest feel fuller than it had been since he first arrived at Axis Mundi.

A gasp came from his right and Noah slipped his head through the opening to scout the area. The sound of footsteps could be heard coming closer, but for now it seemed as though only he and a girl were in the vicinity. She didn't look that much taller than him, so he wouldn't have to worry about his head only coming up to her chest. That may be awkward for the both of them.

Noah cringed as she banged against the doors. This would probably be the most oportune time to step out, but he wanted to see what she would do next. But after a while, it didn't seem like she would be stopping anytime soon so he stepped out, trying to wipe the smile off his face. He soon settled for smiling reassuringly.

"Hello Juliette Bourbon, my name is Noah. Your name sounds french, are you native there? Because based off your accent you sound- Oh- um, yeah, off topic. I'm not quite sure what day or time it is, but judging from my symptoms, I've only been out for an hour or two. It was later in the day in the last game so I'm assuming it's around late nightime now, does that help? Are you new to the Killing Game? If not, this will go a lot more smoothly for you, but then again, distrust is a heavy side-effect..." He rambled on a little bit before pausing and realizing his questions might be unwanted. His hand gently came up to pull the girl's hand away from the door. "It might be best not to alert the nurses with the all the banging, they can come off a little... feisty."

It didn't take long for Thomas to leave the rest of the Infinite's behind at the roller coaster. In fact, he was the first one to leave after the trial. He wasted no time at all, because he found it impossible to stand the other talents banter after a full trial wherein it was forced upon him.

As he sauntered through the hallways, pondering what he had to do next, he found himself drawn to the sound of Juliette's elevator. It took hardly a moment for him to solidify his conjecture, and he made his way towards the sound of the elevator. If there was another Infinite in the building, he would want to see which one they were. Before Thomas had a chance to find Juliette though, he heard the sound of footsteps following behind him.

”Ah, Caretaker. How can I help you?” Thomas remarked, in his typical monotonous fashion.

“Thomas.” Emily was kneading her hands together. “Well, I-” She took a deep breath. “I wanted to talk to someone, and we've known each other the longest.” She must have realized she was rambling because she cleared her throat. “Thomas, I don't like how I've been acting. I just feel horrible after what I did at the party. But now that Alice's friend is dead, I-I don't know what to do.” She looked over her shoulder, as if looking for the infinite. “As horrible as I feel, I'm sure Alice must feel even worse.”

Thomas cocked an eyebrow and turned around to face Ellie. ”I’m afraid I don’t follow. What are you trying to say?”

Emily's eyes shot open in shock. “I hurt her feelings! I want to make things better but I don't know if I can do it.” Her arms fell to her sides. “I guess I've been blaming myself for what happened to Rika a lot recently. I wasn't able to help her. I wasn't able to help much during this trial either.” She stopped fidgeting with her hands and put them behind her back. “B-but surely I should try to do something!” She rocked back and forth on her heels. Another sign of nervousness.

Thomas tilted his head and crossed his arms. Instead of continuing to face Ellie, he just turned around and continued walking. He didn’t want to miss the new Infinite’s arrival, so Ellie would have to follow if she wanted to keep talking to him. ”I’m sorry, what are you trying to achieve here?”

“I want to help everyone be happy again!” With a sigh, Ellie circled in front of Thomas, blocking his path. “Thomas, you know you're special to me right? I wouldn't have been able to hold on this long if it wasn't for you.” She knelled in front of him. “You... remind me of him.” She sighed. “I've always wanted children Thomas, but I'm infertile. I wouldn't be ashamed if I had a son who turned out just like you though. Rika was the same way, she would have been a perfect daughter.” Emily placed a hand over her mouth. “She gave me hope Thomas, both of you did. But when she died, I was reminded of how powerless I am here.” She wiped a hand across her eyes. “I haven't been doing anything right, and I want to change that. I want to stop dragging everyone else down.”

”I’m your… hope? Ah. I think I see what's going on now.” Thomas paused, and abruptly shifted his arms behind his back. He looked down at Ellie and let out one quiet snicker. ”So that’s what this is to you. Some sort of battle, where you can decide that something gives you hope? You want to be the hope for the other Infinite’s, and stand as the valiant hero who fought off the despair that no one else could, right? You want to be someone special to them. That’s what you’re trying to tell me, isn’t it?”

Thomas took a step, and leaned forward until he was nearly face to face with Ellie. ”You know what I think of that?” Thomas unclasped his hands from behind his back, and placed one on Ellie’s cheek.

”That’s bullshit.” Thomas pushed with his arm on Ellie’s cheek, and snapped back up so he was standing straight. ”You’re so caught up in yourself, that you don’t even realize that just that is your issue. She gave me hope. God. What a reprehensible line. How many times did you rehearse that in your head before you finally said it to me?”

Thomas took one deep breath, and continued. ”You know what else I think, though? You’re a narcissist. I’ll try to be candid. You’re trying to convince me that you want to become a better person, not because you want to fight for hope, but because you’re so terrified of what other people are thinking about you that you feel the need to constantly try to change your image. You’re not going to improve yourself to become a symbol of hope. You’re going to do this because of some perverted sense of self satisfaction.”

Thomas took a few steps forward, until he was ahead of Ellie. ”And the ironic part is, because you’re so scared that people will think bad of you — they’ll do just that.” Thomas continued walking, and replaced both his hands behind his back. ”Don’t try to follow me. We’re done here.”

Every word cut at Emily like a razor. Each sting weakened her until she had no recourse but to fall onto her hands. She tried to keep the tears in, and failed. She tried to stop from howling, but failed. What hurt the most was that it was all true. Not a single point Thomas had touched on was incorrect. She just wanted to be a hero, she didn't want people to think ill of her, and until the trial she hadn't considered anyone's feelings but her own. Wasn't she supposed to be the infinite caretaker?

But being the infinite caretaker was a joke all in itself. There are many talents that relate to care taking. The Infinite Nanny was a caretaker, so was the Infinite Nurse. So was the Infinite Rehabilitation Specialist and the infinite Nun. But the point of the Infinites was to do what Hope's peak failed to do. To better the world's people though Infinite improvement. That meant that there needed to be inspiring people at every corner of the globe. Unlike Hope's Peak, they had to branch out and include the whole world. Unfortunately, not every corner of the globe had great talent to pick from. So when such an occasion arose, the Infinity Initiative would often slap a strange talent like caretaker on someone who displayed a degree of competence, but might not have been truly infinite level. The Yotsuyama group was largely responsible for putting Emily before Axis Mundi, who were known for backing a lot of hospitals anyway. Making Emily an Infinite was a win for both of the organizations, and her shape made her look interesting in front of a camera.

“I'm... Nothing!” Emily repeated between her sobs. Her vision was blurred by tears, and her eyes stung from all the crying. She couldn't get a hold of herself. She was useless. Fake. Undesirable. A hindrance. Eyesore. Selfish.

Nothing.

When Emily was done sobbing, she gradually pushed herself up into a kneeling position again, with both of her knees on the floor. And then she looked up. To an onlooker, she might have appeared to be gazing at the fluorescent lights, or some invisible stranger. But she was actually staring at nothing. Just the space where someone could be standing. Someone who might comfort her and tell her that she was okay. But there was no one there. There could have been a person there though. At one time, there should have been a person there. But the time Emily was thinking about was a little different. She was leaning on the edge of a child's bed. Timothy had terminal cancer, and only had a few more weeks to live. His parents had been turned by the tragedy, and wanted nothing to do with him. Emily remembered how angry that made her. How could anyone just abandon a child like that? She didn't care about what horrible viruses existed, or what type of brainwashing someone had to go through to change like that. Maybe it was because she couldn't have children of her own, but that just didn't sit right with her. But anger didn't fix anything. Killing a murderer didn't bring the victims back to life. But what Emily could do is fill that space herself. She didn't have any obligation to. She doubted anyone would praise her for spending time with a boy that would die in a few weeks. But spending time with him just felt right. It made her feel good that she was trying to make someone's life a little more bearable. It would be hard, but she'd sleep better.

Emily stood up, and walked into the space.

With the space occupied, she turned around and looked at the floor. In the past, Timothy might have been there. Recently, Rika's mangled body might of been there. She would have been there more recently, as evident by the tears that soaked the floor. But there was nothing there now. Those people were dead. She had comforted them to the best of her ability. It didn't matter how successful she was, or what other people thought about her efforts, because she tried her best. Because being seen as a good person wasn't nearly as important as actually being a good person. And even if no one else liked Ellie for it, at least she would like herself.

Emily smiled, placed a hand on her chest, and walked after Thomas. She was ready to greet her newest patients.

Thus went the poem Daimyon found himself in his notebook as the trial was coming to its conclusion. He needed the encouragement himself, as knowing the truth did not set him free, not in the slightest. The notion that Mercy was only under the influence of her own demons and there truly was no one else involved evoked a flame of vain anger in the poet. It meant that she had had control until the very end, that she, in a better state of mind, could have stopped herself from taking away an innocent life. Whatever she had suffered from was no excuse. It would have been so easy for Daimyon to discard his morals, too, at any given moment. There has not been anything tying him to them for a long time now. Despite that, he always stuck with them, with his identity, with his values—he never descended into madness. It would have been so easy, but he never did. For doing so, he could not forgive the deceased doctor.

His silver lining amid these grim thoughts was the fact that no one else had to die, for one of the robots had offered herself up as a sacrifice. In the end, they were walking out of the court of carnage with two casualties which, as the poet had recorded the previous cases in his notebook, was the least they could afford. He did not note down the fact that there was a new Carnage Sister coming to replace the dead one—he did not need the additional weight on his mind. Another uplifting piece was knowing that Krista's brother was safe and far away from this place. So was the rest of humanity, Daimyon assumed, or at least hoped. He did not wish this experience on his worst enemies; on the other hand, he wondered what would have become of him by now if he was not so...ready to let things go.

The air was heavy as the Infinites got off the rollercoaster. The frantic ride marked the end of a frantic ride, but it came with the promise of more. Normally, the poet would have stuck with the group to try and lift their downtrodden spirits, but his mood was especially sour now for the aforementioned reasons. So he went his own way: checking the map on his e-handbook, he walked out of the resort and into the first floor patient's quarters. His room was marked as the very first one after the resort gate, and he would have stepped inside straight away had he not heard something that caught his attention. An implicit, continuous clanging of metal. Not to mention he also saw two Infinites—Thomas and Ellie, he reminded himself—heading in the sound's direction, almost certainly trying to locate its source.

So he went after them.

Rounding the corner and leaving the rooms behind, the poet finally arrived to a most curious scene. A woman stood—or more accurately, was held up on the stiff stilts that were her legs, looking ready to collapse at any moment—by the elevator. Her hand was held up to its steel frame but she was not banging on it anymore, for she was stopped by a man who seemed almost comically short next to her. Daimyon stayed still for a moment, processing the details. He glanced at the list of Infinites in his e-handbook, then shot a look at Thomas and Ellie before stepping closer to the unfamiliar duo.

“Ahem,” he cleared his throat. “Hello there. You must be new here. Are you also Infinites?”