⬣//GROWING WILDLY OUT OF CONTROL.

[cccorp]

>>Gathering // >>Waiting // >>Can't Return // >>It's Real

⬣//STERILE WHITE WALLS

September 23rd—conference day. In the hours preceding the meeting, beta testers are supplied with information on how to access the virtual conference room and offered a set of conduct guidelines. Testers are urged to read them thoroughly and instructed to sign their name on the bottom of the page to confirm that they’ve read and understand the following guidelines:

1. All questions will be addressed. Do not interrupt speakers or other beta testers when they are asking questions or having their questions answered.

2. Conduct yourself professionally and appropriately. Do not curse, shout, or otherwise engage in disruptive behavior. Violators will be muted and their speaking privileges revoked.

3. No eating or drinking. Keep your virtual space clean and free of debris.

4. Remain seated. Excessive movement or inappropriate behavior will result in restriction of your avatar’s movements.

5. PvP is disabled in the conference room. Weapons cannot be drawn and your Fragment inventory is unavailable during the duration of the conference.

Players are generously allowed one hour to filter in and find their seats, review the guidelines, and discuss the questions they’ve prepared with their fellow beta testers.

⬣//THE LOW RUMBLE OF DISTANT THUNDER

One hour comes and goes. The room remains occupied only by the beta participants, CyberConnect Corporation’s flashy logo spinning idly on the conference room’s 80 inch display. Restlessness begins to settle in, idle chatter turning to frustration as one hour becomes two. Still, no one from the Corporation shows.

The conference room remains devoid of purpose, some forty-odd people sitting alone in a sterile conference room, a locked room, should anyone grow so restless they try to leave. Any attempts made to break doors and windows will fail.

The door is locked, as are the windows, the world beyond their stark white blinds a slurry of purple and black. Thunder crackles in that dark, endless void. Even if you could leave, where would you go?

⬣//TORRENTIAL RAINS

It’s painfully evident after three hours of silence that no one from CyberConnect is showing up to the conference, but you knew that already, didn’t you? This mandatory meeting was fishy from the start, some would argue, while others may yet hold out hope.

That ends the instant anyone tries to log out and leave. Everyone who attempts to leave will be met with the same error Shoka was some weeks ago, but this time, the error is permanent. This time, there is no connection between mind and body anymore, and any attempt to “reach” your real self will fail.

You feel no one on the other end. You no longer feel the weight of your headset on your head or the keyboard beneath your fingertips. All your worldly aches and pains have drifted away only to find you here in your new reality, every sensation so real that Fragment no longer feels like just a game. Fragment is reality.

Three hours pass from the start of the conference. The boring white walls and rickety office chairs shudder and shake and give way to the Mac Anu everyone knows. You’re back where you started, more or less. What you do from here is up to you.

⬣//LOST TO THE TUMULT AND BEDLAM

Some menus remain online. Players retain the ability to send and receive friend and party requests, access their inventories, spells, and weapons, and so on, but a few notable items are missing.

Players can no longer toggle their pain sensors on and off. Every blow you take is one you’re forced to suffer through, and what’s more, your health no longer automatically regenerates when idle. You’d better keep a stash of potions or a pocket healer handy.

While you’re at it, try not to die. The sharp-eyed among the group may notice that the respawn information nestled in the menus is no longer accessible to them. The respawn counter now reads as a series of zeros instead of the typical 20 minutes. Now is probably not the best time to continue testing Fragment’s death mechanics, but nothing’s stopping you from trying. No one’s going to save you, either.

Good luck, players. The real test has begun.

>>Navigation

Comments

patch 5.5, (very) late 10/2

[tot]

[ for anyone and everyone warping into the theta server or wandering around the theta server, they'll be able to hear a song being carried on the wind. it'll be a voice that will people would have heard before and others would be very familiar with. it'll be hard to initially pinpoint where that voice is coming from since it seems to be projecting from a less than obvious location far away, however for those who are willing to follow it, they'll be rewarded. alternatively, for those who travel far and high enough into the root town towards the terraces, they'll be able to find the source of the song:

the person who the news has reported to be dead and hadn't been seen around the fragment since the news had been released.

obviously there'll plenty room to doubt or question it, but they'd definitely look like her avatar. she won't be hiding her armor as she'd normally do whenever she's wandering around the root towns. not entirely, anyway. there'll be one small difference—she'll be opting to have her special gear not only equipped but full on display. whipping in the wind will be a black coat that seems to be attached to her by the shoulders and notably she'll be gripping tightly onto some pieces of paper.

unfortunately for anyone who approaches her, she'll be lost in the middle of her song. there's a rawness in her voice as the emotions she puts into her song cut deeper than normal—for those who are familiar with her songs, anyway.

With fingers that reach towards tomorrow I count the things I've lost in the emptiness.
The heart beats.... The heart beats....
The truth is if you charge into my heart the void peeking out can be filled.
Is this who I really am?

feel free to interrupt her after she finishes the chorus or keep listening to her until she finishes singing. however, it'll seem that once she finishes singing that song, she'll move onto another one. in fact, if not interrupted, she'll keep singing song after song after song without an end in sight. while the impromptu concert might be enjoyable, it'll become clear that she's pushing herself. she has been pushing herself as she sings like a woman possessed.

while it's easy to be confused by what's driving her, it might become clear to some is that it'll seem as though she's trying to prove something. ]

[dissimulative]

[ The Unnamed root town is one of Oria's favorite places to go for the sheer reason that no one seems to come up here anymore—it is definitely less populated by the players than any other Root Town. It's where he can sit and enjoy the peace with the occasional winds that no longer try to speak to him.

But then he hears it.

That all too familiar voice.

The voice that helped him through the rough times the past two years and the voice who aided him ever since he met her in the game. He spent the entire first day of October trying to find her, in hopes that maybe if her real body was dead, she would still be here. It seemed to be a popular theory among the playerbase, though Oria didn't really want to believe it from how absurd it sounded.

He hears her voice as she goes from song to song—there is something about her singing that he'd rather not interrupt, but he wants to see if it's real. Is the Uta before him real? Is it the game bugs playing a sick little mind game with him now? The news of her death still feels so raw.

The songs are familiar to him except the first one. He's not sure why she is singing them, but he finally reaches out. ]

—Uta.

[tot]

Oriade.

[ you'd think that with all of her singing and with how deeply she was getting lost in each song, that her voice would sound rougher than it does. a fact that doesn't seem to be missed by uta herself as she smiles sadly for a moment before forcing herself to give oria something more cheerful. ]

Hello. [ she interrupts herself from saying her more normal greeting rethinking her words. asking him if he was "okay" would only give her an answer that she doesn't want to hear. ] Have you been okay?

[dissimulative]

[ It's unfortunate that either way, Oria's answer would be: ]

No.

[ He quietly breathes out, and takes another step closer to Uta and hesitates. Oria was never a hug type of person, and yet... Uta was always fine. But he feels that she'll disappear if he tries to touch any part of her.

So he keeps his distance. ]

... But it's not your fault. I got stuff going on that I can't resolve as long as I'm stuck here. Never mind that. Uta, you...

[ He thought she wouldn't be here. He thought he sent her off. He thought— ]

Are you really... dead?

[tot]

[ it is unfortunate and she kind of suspected that to be the case, but at least there might have been some flexibility with it. uta doesn't let it show whether or not she is bothered by the way he maintains his distance from her as she keeps smiling at him. she'd never fault oria for the reaction that he was having. ]

I think all of us have things that we need to resolve or, at least, have something that we are involved with.

[ of course, what she doesn't need to point out is how people will think certain things are more important to them than others. it kind of goes without saying. ]

None of us can log out and check for ourselves and everything feels so much more real now but... [ she drops her gaze and looks down at the pieces of paper in her hand. uta somehow maintains a pleasantness in her voice as she elaborates. ] I wouldn't have released my name—my real name—to the public, and that was definitely a photo of me. I can remember when it was taken.

[dissimulative]

... I know.

[ He was also surprised when he saw Uta's real name on the news. He promised her that he'd never tell anyone, and he kept it. But they really went the extra mile and revealed something so personal to her, her family name too. He would have thought that CC Corp extracted that sort of information from Uta like how their memories were on full display in the mirrors.

But the fact that it's a photo and not really a memory gives Oria some implications that he doesn't like. What if the corporation sent someone to set her house on fire to test how someone's mind could be kept here? And found the photo in the house raid...

He feels sick to his stomach. ]

They really just went ahead and did that, huh? Can't even hire a lawyer for doxxing you like that in a news outlet.

[ Since she's apparently dead. ]

[tot]

[ she doesn't know if oria is saying that to lighten the mood or not, but uta laughs softly regardless. it's not really funny that he says that, but she finds it a bit ironic. she is sure to keep up a mildly playful demeanor despite how it juxtaposes against what she ends up talking about.

all of the things that she would have loved to keep locked away are slowly being uncovered and uta is out of road to run down. and while oria is thinking of how the cc corp might have been involved with it, there's another face that comes to mind. ]

I'm not sure if I'd want to press charges even if it did get accidentally got leaked while I could do something about it. [ she pauses for a moment to think about exactly how she wants to word it. ] All sort of things get dragged out into the public eye any time there are legal proceedings.

Especially for people who are super wealthy.

[dissimulative]

Yeah.

[ There's a knowing expression on Oria's face. He knows that for sure! He's been part of it so many times, even. But now he wonders again. ]

Do you have to keep to yourself? Or can you be among us again, like any other player?

[ There must have been a reason why Uta is all the way here in a Root Town that's barely populated with players, is what Oria thinks. ]

[tot]

[ uta makes no comment about the knowing look on his face since from the memory that she saw, it seemed to make a lot of sense. all in the most unfortunate ways. instead she just hums softly to herself for a moment. ]

I'm fairly certain that I can play with everyone just as I had been in the past.

[ not that she has tested it but there was nothing that seemed to change on this side of things. her next comment is certainly "too soon" but...look. sometimes you just..?? need to say things. ]

I'd just imagine that it'd be best if I was extra careful when doing area explorations.

[ganymed]

[ So much doubt, but the resemblance makes it abundantly clear about the individual and their connection. The country's mention even moreso.

Yet, somehow, even with everything saying otherwise...Uta is here. She's been singing all along.

Though, it can certainly be a dream, isn't it?

All the same, she's singing so hard, with rampant emotion driving her. Pushing herself, perhaps, to make a statement. Not just to everyone, but maybe even to herself about something. What it is? He doesn't know. Whatever the case, Ganymede isn't going to ignore her, even if the relief is tentative. ]

Uta! You're...here.

[ He steps closer, before stopping, looking at her. ]

I can see you and hear your song.

[tot]

[ he wouldn't be wrong when thinking that she's trying to make a statement, but when he interrupts her, she'll stop midway in her singing—or at the very least, whenever she finishes the current verse that she was on or the chorus. ]

Ganymede.

[ she offers him a small smile and crosses her arms behind her back. ...or well, as much as she can with the cape in the way. it probably looks a little odd but it's one of habit. the last thing that she wants is for him to start questioning things that she rather not address at the current moment.

perhaps that's why she asks him a question before he can ask any to her. ]

I hope you've been enjoying them. Is there a song that you'd like to hear?

[ganymed]

[ It's like some kind of strange dream—the news and depiction of her face clear. Stark, in his own mind, with the blond believing it to be an impossibility—nothing but denial.

But after all of that, he can't say he wasn't curious. To hear more, to know more.

Seeing her standing here like that, with almost what seems to be a carefree smile on her face. ]

They sound good, so I think I have. But, I'm not sure if there's any other song I'd want to hear right now.

[ Because he has already heard her sing. He'd really prefer to just talk? So, Ganymede doesn't even think about asking for another one. ]

...I'm glad you're standing here like this. I was wondering, what was that all about? In the news.

[tot]

Well, if you think of anything don't hesitate to ask. I'd be glad to sing it for you.

[ uta isn't bothered when he turns down another song by her; it was only meant as a deflection anyway. well, part of one. she would always gladly sing for anyone who asked her to if it meant that she would be able to lift their spirts. of course, though, is ganymede asking the question that she isn't surprised to hear. ]

About the news? [ her smile drops for a bit as she's thankful for his consideration and delicacy around the news. ] ...you mean the article about how I died?

[ not that she has the full confirmation that she's truly dead but, at the same time, maybe that would be for the best. she wouldn't know what she'd do if she had that full confirmation. ]

[ganymed]

If I have something, I'll let you know. It's been awhile since I've seen someone else's concert.

[ The future is fluid, after all.

Either way, he knows that Uta's smile was bound to drop once he broached the subject. But he goes straight along ahead. ]

That's right. I meant that. Do you also actually...believe that? I guess, it's just, your here and all, still talking to me, and even other people — so I can't imagine I would.

[ But is it also different for her? The timing is just awful as well. ]

[tot]

[ kills uta again in game for the extra trauma....

but she doesn't let her smile drop for too long as it's not the kind of thing she wants ganymede to focus on. especially not when he's doing his best not to come off as too insensitive to the topic at hand. it's really endearing; uta just wishes she had better information for him. ]

There isn't a way to be certain given our current situation but there are only a handful of reasons why my real name would be released to the public while I'm not there to give consent.

[ she'll take a moment to pat herself down, look over herself, and generally show off just how "real" her avatar is—just like everyone else. ]

...but you're right. I am here, aren't I? I'm here and I don't feel any different than I did before.

[ which might be concerning in its own right. ]

[ganymed]

[ Wow hdu

Ganymede isn't afraid to confront any difficult truths, and can often stumble past certain boundaries when tackling certain matters, but when it comes to people he cares about, he does exercise a great deal of diligence. Especially in sensitive matters. ]

...Yeah, there would be.

[ He's still in denial, though. Ganymede doesn't think he'll be able to believe it. Not until he can confirm it outside of CC Corp's channels. Still, watching herself pat own body, he can only be certain that Uta is alive, now more than ever. Maybe there could be another nasty reason behind it, but he's scared to consider that too, when he thinks he might not be able to even fathom that too. ]

You are. Maybe, that's what matters too. Because you're right in front of me, I can't think of you as being anything but still alive.

And if you don't feel any different, I don't see any reason to think otherwise.

[ For now. ]

[regressive]

[ After parting with Oria and sending the last message for today, Joonghyuk decides to visit every single Root Town before doing his dungeon runs for the day. When he crosses another bridge to get to the other part of the Unnamed Root Town, his heart is filled with regret.

Keeping his distance from Oria as he was sending Uta off was incredibly foolish. Instead of doing it properly, he just stood and watched. It's nearly impossible to remain hopeful, not when the image of the white lilies keeps flashing in front of Joonghyuk's eyes.

When the notes of the song reach his ears, the man's steps come to a halt. Looking around, Joonghyuk tries to figure out where the sound is coming from, but whenever he starts walking again, it feels like the melody fades. After some trial and error, he's finally on the seemingly right path—the voice growing louder is a promising sign, at least.

And then he sees her, singing her heart out, offering her song to everyone who's willing to listen. Joonghyuk closes his eyes and counts down from five to zero in his head before opening them again.

She's still here, her powerful voice filling the air. ]

Uta. [ He calls out to her between the songs, hoping to get her attention. ] You wandered off somewhere again. I will scold you this time, so get ready.

[tot]

[ it's a good thing that he decides to interrupt her between songs because it'll be when he'll have a solid grasp on her attention as she thinks of which song to start on next. honestly, she isn't too surprised when she hears his voice nor when he approaches her. of all of the people she expected to message her; he wasn't too terribly high on the list. however, she did read every message that he had sent to her. ]

Get ready?

[ his words confuse her momentarily but she'll catch on quick enough and fully turns to him and looks down at the ground for a moment. she finds it all too funny and very kind that he gives her a warning before sharing what he has to say. in a way, she's kind of proud of him. when she does look back up at him, she'll be smiling at him. ]

Okay. I think I'm as ready as I can be.

[regressive]

Yes, get ready.

[ Actually, he needs a moment to get ready and enter his scolding stance which is basically crossing his arms on his chest as his piercing gaze focuses on Uta. Her smile makes Joonghyuk questions himself for a moment—perhaps he shouldn't be so harsh—but he shakes off these doubts.

Everything about him makes it seem that Uta is about to be yelled at, especially after he frowns. And yet, when he opens his mouth again, she might find the words surprising. ]

You were missed. Welcome back.

[ It's tempting to ask whether she's feeling okay, but isn't Uta always okay? ]

[tot]

[ oh.

well then.

uta stands there in a bit of shock when he doesn't end up yelling at her as she expected him to. however, and honestly, the alternative response that she gets from him is far more meaningful than if he did yell at her. there's even more character growth here than she would have expected and she has a bit of mixed feelings about it—truthfully. if only because of the situation he's demonstrating it to her. nevertheless, eventually her shock melts away and hangs her head with a smaller, apologetic smile. ]

I'm sorry to cause you to worry.

[ and it's a real smart move to not ask if she's okay because she's always okay even when it's very clearly obvious that she isn't. not that the next thing she says here isn't sincere. ]

But thank you; I'm glad that I get to see everyone.

[regressive]

[ Her expression is very satisfying to see, even if he doesn't smile. Maybe there was no character development in the first place, perhaps Punisher was like this all along. ]

Don't apologize for things that are out of your control.

[ That's the only harsh remark he allows himself, but in all fairness it's still missing the usual sharpness. ]

Everyone is glad to see you too, I bet. But you should rest.

[tot]

[ these subtle changes both make her extremely happy but the subject matter itself is much more difficult for her. ]

...making everyone worried was something in my control.

[ you know, she didn't have to disappear and be unresponsive to all that messaged her. those are things that didn't need to happen after the news about her death was released. she could have done countless of other things instead of retreating but— ]

I'm not sure if I want to rest. [ her voice is a bit sheepish as the whole thing feels a bit like arguing about some metaphorical bedtime. uta take a moment to debate if she should continue before ultimately doing so. ] It's...scary to think about resting right now. Even if supposedly nothing about me here has changed—what if it has changed?

Just in ways that I don't know yet.

[regressive]

It was something in your control... [ He really didn't want to pry, even if one thing he learned about Uta is that being direct might bring results. ] Are you sure about that?

[ If Joonghyuk still tried to convince himself to not ask questions, there's simply no way to ignore what Uta has just said. ]

Aren't we told that people change all the time? [ What kind of a change would make her be scared of resting, though? He can't understand that one thing. ] Uta... did someone attack you?

[wowcool]

[Detectives are bystanders. Observers. They can never get involved completely. Anaido has always dreamed of being one, in his own way. But even he can see what a lonely profession it is.]

[But he walks along, listens, observes. She's like a wonderful flower, dancing in the breeze. It can be carried away. Maybe it already has.]

[She finishes, and he speaks up.]

It's very beautiful. [He opens his mouth, tries to find words, fails for a moment. And sighs.] Uta. How are you?

[tot]

Thank you!

[ she holds off saying anything else as she waits for anaido to get his thoughts and words together to say whatever it is that he wants to say. unfortunately it ends up being something too complicated to put to words. everyone had been so worried about dying in the game and yet her situation had been the exact opposite. does this mean she'll be left behind when things are figured out? is she even considered alive anymore? who knows. nevertheless, she smiles at anaido. ]

I suppose I can say that I'm as fine as anyone could be while in the situation that I'm in.

[ which isn't much of an answer but that's the best she can offer him all things considering. it hasn't even been 48 hours since she read about her own death. at least one thing is clear though— ]

Please don't feel bad for what happened to me. I know this is selfish to ask, and it probably feels wrong, but... I'm sure it'll be fine in the end.