Step 84 - Asking Questions
Step 84 - Asking Questions
They spoke of you in passing. a pair of student you believe you had seen before, but if you had, you do not remember either of them. Perhaps they just had 'one of those faces.' Their faces were ashen and gaunt, if anything they stood out, but they did not seem to have a dedicated perch in your memory.
They did not call you by name, but they spoke with that knowing tone, like they had seen the exact moment your breath caught and your footsteps quickened down an empty corridor.
As if they understood what had sent you running.
Nothing had followed you. Not the doll, Steven, the doll who you continued to reject. Not the incredibly handsome blonde student with the too-bright smile that had never even had a passing interest in you until today. At least… not that you could see.
Still, the mention by the duo lingered in your mind and unsettled you.
It wouldn’t hurt to ask, would it?
The pair looked at you when you neared. The nameless duo were cloaked in a kind of stillness that did not feel entirely young. The younger glanced up at the elder, wide-eyed and uncertain, like asking permission to speak out loud in a place where whispers carry too far and secrets meant to be buried should be left to rest in peace.
The older nodded once, slow and deliberate as if they were given permission to both the younger and himself. Then spoke.
“The school keeps its secrets close,” they said, voice low, like they feared something or someone might be listening. “Old rivalries. Broken pacts. Ghosts of things no longer remembered—at least, not properly. Some of them span centuries. Some… never ended at all.” They forced what could have been described as a smile, but it was the sort of smile one makes that does not quite know what a smile is supposed to be.
The younger shifted uncomfortably, then added in a mumble, barely audible:
“If you look backward, you’ll see what’s coming.”
For a moment, no one said anything more. the uncomfortable silence stretched between you both. Then the wind stirred through the hallway, though there was no open windows. A distant door creaked, then slammed, though no one walked by.
A glance towards the source of the sound was all that was required. And you realized—it wasn't a warning, it was a statement. An instruction. When your eyes settled on the pair again, they were both gone, as if they had become smoke and shadow.
Do you?
Reject this call to adventure and live your life → Go to Step 85
Try to learn more about the who strangers that spoke to you → Go to Step 11b
They spoke of you in passing. a pair of student you believe you had seen before, but if you had, you do not remember either of them. Perhaps they just had 'one of those faces.' Their faces were ashen and gaunt, if anything they stood out, but they did not seem to have a dedicated perch in your memory.
Reducio
They did not call you by name, but they spoke with that knowing tone, like they had seen the exact moment your breath caught and your footsteps quickened down an empty corridor.
As if they understood what had sent you running.
Nothing had followed you. Not the doll, Steven, the doll who you continued to reject. Not the incredibly handsome blonde student with the too-bright smile that had never even had a passing interest in you until today. At least… not that you could see.
Still, the mention by the duo lingered in your mind and unsettled you.
It wouldn’t hurt to ask, would it?
The pair looked at you when you neared. The nameless duo were cloaked in a kind of stillness that did not feel entirely young. The younger glanced up at the elder, wide-eyed and uncertain, like asking permission to speak out loud in a place where whispers carry too far and secrets meant to be buried should be left to rest in peace.
The older nodded once, slow and deliberate as if they were given permission to both the younger and himself. Then spoke.
“The school keeps its secrets close,” they said, voice low, like they feared something or someone might be listening. “Old rivalries. Broken pacts. Ghosts of things no longer remembered—at least, not properly. Some of them span centuries. Some… never ended at all.” They forced what could have been described as a smile, but it was the sort of smile one makes that does not quite know what a smile is supposed to be.
The younger shifted uncomfortably, then added in a mumble, barely audible:
“If you look backward, you’ll see what’s coming.”
For a moment, no one said anything more. the uncomfortable silence stretched between you both. Then the wind stirred through the hallway, though there was no open windows. A distant door creaked, then slammed, though no one walked by.
A glance towards the source of the sound was all that was required. And you realized—it wasn't a warning, it was a statement. An instruction. When your eyes settled on the pair again, they were both gone, as if they had become smoke and shadow.
Do you?
Reject this call to adventure and live your life → Go to Step 85
Try to learn more about the who strangers that spoke to you → Go to Step 11b
There is something about ambition, how it not only propels you but also defines you.