Hidden

Despite having managed to get into hiding, somehow she lost her grip and lost her obscurity. 'What are you even doing?' Hidden grit her teeth. 'There isn't much natural light here okay, I'm not used to having to think about controlling the shadows to hide. I'm doing my best okay?' Hokori snorted at her. 'That's your best? Wow.' Hidden refocused on the zombies, a brilliant white light sparking from her location. For a moment, the zombies would falter, even that which was burning. It was as if the fear of holy light was more terrifying than the flame that consumed its flesh. Shadows would

Rolls and Stats A strike of red lightning would seem to be called forth just before Raidou allowed the hoard to slew forward. 'Alright... AoE. I haven't played around too much with this Sword Art before. Let's give it a shot.' Moving forward, the silver-haired woman moved forward to activate <<Dark Torrent>>. A mistake was made and the woman drew to close the burning zombie who wailed in agony from flame. The light from the flame cast upon the woman's figure, bringing down her stealth rating even further after she spoke out. 'Damnit!' the woman would curse herself. 'Wo

<<Hidden's Battle Theme>> A Shadow traversed the ashen fields of the fourteenth floor without a foot falling out of pace. From a distance, the sight would appear as a dark blot moving before the backdrop of the floor where light seemed to be unable to touch it. Speed at this point was of the utmost importance. There was a short period that she would have where she knew the Wanderer's location but if he moved then she wouldn't have the slightest clue. Without scouting skills, it would be nearly impossible to locate him again without requesting additional questions. From her sou

Hidden sat, arms folded, in the chair meant for Ain himself. This small room was specified for private meetings. Once up a time, Mujo, Ain, and herself, made plans to strike against the Laughing Coffin guild in here. A single hanging bulb was all that provided light to the intensifying argument. "I'm afraid we've got nothing at all." Hidden would roll her eyes in disgust. "There was a large amount of work put into finding out their whereabouts. Now, they've moved their base and you simply have no clue where they went? That's some shit." What kind of informant was this? "We were found out

Floor 7. Wood creaked as a shadow crept forward into the rundown warehouse, voices from within talking in loud and obnoxious voices. From the sound of it, the members of the Faceless had long outgrown their meek tendencies. Months ago, they were the kind that would have cowered from any social interaction. In some odd way, the shadow had breathed life back into each of them. Even if only half of them remained alive. The arbiters had killed many and proven that sheer numbers didn't prevail against an overwhelming force. At that moment, Hidden had left them to simply fend for themselves. Fr

Light shone in through the colored glass, painting their colors on the marble floor stained with red. Hidden's eyes bore forward into Hokori. Twice the monster had managed to completely best her without breaking a sweat. If Hokori was just her... how was she so refined. It seemed that every movement was honed to its maximum, each strike aimed to kill. "Have you noticed yet?" Hidden was suddenly brought back from her thoughts. "What are you talking about now?" The way Hokori spoke and acted, was that how others perceived her? It was nearly unbearable. "Each time I kill you, you become jus

The cold metal slashed through her throat sending Hidden's head from her shoulders. In an instant, the world became dark and silent. Was she dead? Was this the afterlife? It was so... void of anything. Sudden light blinded her along with an intense cold. Slowly opening her eyes from a squint, she once again found herself in that very same room. Her own figure stood there, foot resting on a now fading corpse that also belonged to her. 'If I just died, how come I am alive now?' Hidden would ask herself. The white-haired woman wouldn't even be able to take a step forward before the doppelga

The hands... they were the same as before. Their cold grasps had been the one to drag her to drown before. Violet eyes widened as the White Silence retreated with a leap in the opposite direction. The hands of shadows continued forward, having a seemingly infinite reach. An orange light flared as a dagger slashed through the air and ripped through one of the hands. Unlike last time, Hidden was absolutely confident in her ability. This monster inside of her wouldn't be standing any chance. Another quick stroke followed by a few more would quickly see the hands dispatched. Now, the assassin woul

Black hands painted their way through the crowd of soldiers, the sickening sound of rending flesh audible from an amethyst blade cutting through people. With the <<Vanish>> skill, Hidden was able to strike multiple targets twice in a row. With the time that had passed, only a small group of soldiers remained. Hidden stood in between the soldiers and Simmone now, not a breath out of place and a grin spread across her mouth. "Freyd is on board and has secured an entry. Question is, will they attempt to rush to the big ship's aid?" Hidden turned her gaze to the cat-like wo

Chapter Four: Autophobia "Face Yourself" The sudden light was stinging but no more stinging than the fierce cold that existed inside of the room. Her teeth chattered for a moment before her survival skill began to activate. Violet eyes traced the frosted ground until they would meet a figure. Standing there was her own figure, a disgruntled look plastered on her face. It was obvious who the scowl was aimed at... her. The large room floor was made of marble, covered in frost from the dreary cold. Colored glass pane windows lined the longer two walls of the room, sunlight shining thr

The cold stone would dig into her knees as she knelt into it. A white mist was visible as she exhaled. Looking up, she would find herself staring down the hallway once again. Now, however; the hallway was perfectly illuminated in light blue. The Shadow could see a frost that covered the walls, only growing thicker as it continued. Unlike before, she could see the epilogue to the never-ending story. It existed as a harsh light at the end of the hall. Standing to full height, Hidden would take a confident step in a direction: Forward. Whatever was there, it was waiting for her. No matter h

A Shadow pressed into the robe, drawn to the very beacon that would burn it away. A Whisper spoke, its voice pushing the Shadow into a direction unknown to it. Where was it that the Shadow had heard these words before? Had it been from a Wanderer in passing? Had it been the melody of a Songstress? Maybe in the smoke cast from a Seer? Perhaps from the one branded in Orange just as herself? Had they all been simply repeating the same words, fallen entirely onto deafened ears? A hand unclenched, a flower as white as snow would hit the ground. The stinging cold would be relieved from her gras

Simmone's motion caught her attention and she would meet up with the woman shortly after. Hidden's breathing had started to get heavier but her words made it through to the woman just fine. "Talk about? I thought we had spoken plenty," Hidden answered with a coy smile. A figure covered head to toe in dark obsidian armor stepped forward, a heavy two-handed sword would become blocked by a thin rapier. "My bet is on you, go wild." A small chuckle would be heard from Hidden a moment before she vanished from sight. Amethyst cut through armor before exploding into light almost immediately

Why had she allowed herself to be dragged into more of a mess than what they had started? One moment she was fighting a floor boss and the next she stood underneath a raging war that she had nothing to do with. Violet eyes looked on as Shiina and Simmone moved forward to tend to the Floor Boss they had just saved. What was Shiina planning to do with this guy? The outcast's gaze turned to Simmone. The woman's words still rang fresh in her ears even though Hidden knew that they were truly never spoken. "Make this happiness your own, through the trials that you must face. Make it real. Don't

Her face would twitch as Freyd began to speak. Would this man lie straight to her face? When had Raidou cared? All he had done was treat her like a child, toy with her emotions, and use her as a tool. When she had realized that, that's when they had broken apart. Her eyes were drawn to the bright red robe of the Wanderer. Seeing Freyd in it brought a nasty taste to her mouth. If she hated Raidou... why was she even upset about his passing? For the past few months, she had ventured away on her own. The assassin had only traveled with Shiina since and had pushed away all others. Violet eyes were

In the moment Hidden leapt forward her vision had faded. She could tell she was moving but had lost all rhyme or reason. Her arm was outstretched, black sludge sharpened into elongated razor sharp claws. These claws would rake forward aimed to kill the man in front of her. Suddenly, a powerful force slammed into her back of her head and sent her flying into the ground where she would roll several meters before coming to a stop. Surprisingly, she hadn't suffered too much damage from the attack. Teeth grinded together as the woman and creature attempted to stand. It seemed the blow had lef

♫ "Leave." The words were all that were audible in the short span of silence. Hidden's eyes widened in disbelief as she watched Shiina vanish suddenly. Wasn't the girl supposed to be their only healer left? Who was going to keep Raidou alive while they made an escape? It wasn't like the man needed much healing but still. Reaching to her side on the inside of her clothing, she would find the cool touch of a small blue stone. "Teleport Ta-" Her words were cut off as she watched Ayame charging forward with her dagger. A heavy sigh escaped the girl's lips as she moved her hand away from

Chapter Three: Resist "Face the impending disaster." When her vision returned to her, she found herself staring at a stone tile floor. A voice called to her, asking if she could get up. Raising her head, she found herself looking on at a raging battle. A familiar man clad in a red coat stood, struggling to hold back the force of a monster with three heads. His health was beginning to drop considerably, but the woman was certain of his recovering capabilities. Her eyes flicked back at those that surrounded her. Many of the Firm Anima members stood there, calling out to each other. A f

Her footsteps echoed as she continued down the hall. Her breath created a thin white mist in the air, something she only just now seeing thanks to the additional light. Unlike before, the girl made no hesitation in her steps and was confident with the path laid out bare before her. Surely enough, another door would rest in her path. A seal resting at its center depicted by tea leaves in the shape of a dagger. From first glance, the burning-red image on the door held no meaning to her. Hidden couldn't even begin to formulate a guess on what could rest on the opposite side. Stepping forwar

Continuing to walk, she would end up reaching the outskirts of her house's yard. How much farther did she needed to go to leave? Had she not actually completed the Trial? Did she need to go back? Something told her Simmone would be unimpressed. Continuing to walk, she found that it suddenly became harder to walk. As if a harsh win was attempting to prevent her from proceeding forward. Pushing forward, a ripping sound would become audible as the world around her would suddenly tear away and cause even the ground at her feet to fade. Falling through the air, a sudden thud as she planted to the g

Simmone would assure Hidden's conclusion of the world around her and her place. The scary thought was knowing that her and Simmone had traded places. Now, it was Simmone who couldn't see herself in the mirror. A faint memory of Simmone's own mirror whispered into her mind. Hidden would watch as the dark haired woman would press her hand against it, assumedly without any result. The cat-like woman would pull her hand away from the mirror, telling her to leave. Slipping from the room, the woman would offer her a weak smile before returning to the table and cover for her absence. Moving tow

As normal, most of Simmone's words held no meaning for her. Instead of providing a straight-forward answer, the white-haired girl was offered a question. Which of her was truly the real Hidden? Instead of leaving the question in the air, Simmone took her interpretation of the answer. The answer was that there wasn't any, her and her other half were one and the same. Nodding, Hidden would lock eyes with the golden irises of Simmone. "I think I understand. What's wrong here isn't necessarily me or even the surrounding. The only thing that may be off is the people in it. Everything else is caused

"I'm sorry... I don't remember going to get that Bridal Gown. That wasn't me." Taking a breath, Hidden would move over to sit on toilet as she attempted to understand the world that was going on around her. Was this simply an alternate version of Aincrad, but she had replaced the Hidden of it? "Reversed huh? I wish I knew what that meant. Does that mean that I've become the shadow in the scenario? Is that why I am so out of place here?" The question was asked slowly and spoken softly. Simmone told her that she thought she looked better this way. A smile would form on Hidden's lips. "Of course,

The sound of high-heels clicking against the floor caught Hidden's ears before Simmone's words did. Unlike Sey, she didn't immediately push the woman away. Out of everyone, she hadn't acted at all out of the ordinary. There was a bit of information she was missing, but Simmone hadn't acted any different. Eyes raising to the point where she could see Simmone through the mirror, she studied the woman closely. Her eyes were still tinged with gold and for once it was a relief to Hidden. "What's the matter, dear? After all, the marriage is in a few days." Turning from the mirror, mouth wide o

OOC Note: From the nature of how things were going, I had to reverse the order of what is happening in the post to be able to respond to it. The friendly nature between Raidou and Sey was unfamiliar to her, but it was starting to grow on her. The thing about it that was the hardest to wrap her mind around was Raidou being overly pleasant. She didn't remember having seemed like this before at all. Raidou and him had spoke like they were old friends. In response to Raidou's question, Sey would smile brightly. "Oh? It's moving along quite nicely. Soon, I don't even think I'll be able to kee