:3

// original image source www.reddit.com/r/HollowKnig...

[Despite the absolute nonsense of directions, the group did indeed reach their destination in the end.]

And THERE she is! Our new exchange student~!

Huh? No, not them. Not him, either. None of these people! Look up there!!!

--drop off a gift at H.A.N.D Headquarters, run up the walls at Castelia City, THEN--

[It's unknown if Sparkle is trolling or if these are ACTUAL directions.]

Perfect~! First, we need to take a left turn at Albuquerque, drive past St. Freya, go around the roundabout at City Escape, take a U-turn at Bob-omb Battlefield, go STRAIGHT through Futaba Sakura's Palace, take a right at the Fontaine Research Institute, bounce between the Luofu's starskiffs, then--

I'll keep it a surprise...~ But we have a pretty complex set of directions to drive through to get there.

Wait, wait, WAIT! I need to pick up one more contact! We need to make a quick trip, pronto!

Wow guys look it’s… Sonic Forces

I'll follow you to the ends of the earth~!

I was chatting with that pink-haired woman earlier, so she's still around. But aside from that, it's so... desolate! And this is no dream, either...

Call, and I shall answer, dearest Vita~!

// kamikouverse please come back to life or i will throw a temper tantrum >:(

@elationincarnate.bsky.social
@pristinebeauty.bsky.social

// had to get this one on the dead iori acc bc i just know some bitches had sparkle muted. idgaf im making them listen well bc this is ridiculous.

First one on the chopping block? Chicken wing boy. That Sunday, I'll be damned, he almost did THAT again.

The head o' the whole thing, eh~? He's an elusive one; I haven't fully confirmed my deductions, but I have a few suspicions in mind...

Go on…

Chat, it MIGHT be over.

[Amidst the fireworks flying high in the night sky, one particular spark suddenly appeared in the center of it all.]

[A Sparkle-face-shaped firework. Of course.]

Mocktails, mixers, ice…

“That’s more my style, actually~! I think we’d make great friends if you gave me a chance, Ms. Hoshimi…~”

“On one hand, we likely can’t kill him from within a dream. On the other hand, if we AREN’T in a dream… huhuhu…~”

“Do you REALLY think he’d give you an answer~?”

"That's not something we can just force so easily, Ms. Hoshimi~! And even then, I never said that was DEFINITELY the case. Small inconsistencies should exist if we truly ARE trapped, but if we're still in reality, then there's still time to stop the trap before it can be sprung~!"

"Sounds about right to me! But... who's to say it isn't already too late? I've been in this same trap before, after all..."

"What if... w̷e̷'̷r̶e̸ ̶a̸l̷r̷e̸a̷d̶y̸ ̸t̶r̷a̶p̸p̶e̶d̴ ̴i̷n̵ ̸t̷h̷e̵ ̶d̵r̸e̸a̵m̵~̸?̵"̵

"... his ideal of paradise... Forget the Elation; it goes against the very concept of humanity. That damn idiot..."

"Elation is a double-edged sword that can hurt, but also carve a path to happiness. Order is just plain ol' lobotomy. How's THAT supposed to be 'paradise'?!"

"To sleep, forever."

"He managed to trap an entire planet under his dreamscape, left to forever slumber while remaining 'happy' within the dream. Even me."

"... tch." Sparkle had a disgusted expression on her face. "I wasn't even pissed that I was a victim! Even if I had been spared..."

"Order... even for me, it's a terrifying thing. Not the concept itself; that shit's boring as hell! But to have successfully revived Ena the Order... even if temporarily, he almost won in the end."

"I already mentioned Sunday having a twisted ideal of paradise. You know what that 'paradise' was?"

"Assimilation."

"The stronger Aeon shall consume the other. That is simply one of the rules of existence. And that was what happened to The Order: it was simply swallowed by the odes of Harmony."

"Until HE... tried to revive an Aeon. Reviving a god... hah, even I couldn't have expected THAT."

"That's the one. He's a funny one to play around with. But that man... He once tried to bring his twisted ideal of 'paradise' to reality. And he almost succeeded. The fact that he's doing it again..."

"..."

"Do you know what happens when two Paths of the same concept collide?"