introduction log.

[falsitates]

JUNE 1, 2021

The first day of summer - it’s unbearably hot. Temperatures are high and relentless, and without a single cloud in the sky, the sun blazes down heavily on the unlucky few stuck outside.

Weather predictions warn of an intense heatwave that’ll last all week long. The young and elderly are advised to stay indoors and hydrated, and anyone with the symptoms of a heat stroke is urged to head straight to the city hospital. Schools are temporarily closed until new air conditioners can be installed, and businesses come to a slow grind as many call out sick from heat exhaustion.

The city warns that it’s going to be a long seven days.

  NEWCOMERS

You wake up.

You’re left to your own devices. You have a vague memory of the last few moments of your time back in your world, in familiar surroundings, but you’re now somewhere new. Whether you’ve awoken on an unknown rooftop, in a stranger’s bedroom, behind cell bars, or under six feet of water - you know that you’re no longer at home.

You’re on your own for the time being. You must escape whatever predicament that you’ve found yourself in and find answers to your own questions. What brings you here? How did you arrive? What happened to your friends and family? You have an hour to explore and speak with the people of this world before your time runs out.

Something then vibrates in your pocket.

  RESIDENTS & NEWCOMERS

Your phone vibrates.

It buzzes incessantly until you pick it up, but when you look at the screen, it’s blank. It will not turn on, no matter how hard you press the buttons. It’s possible that it overheated and shut down, but it’s unusually cold to the touch, almost as if you’re touching a brick of ice. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, white text appears on a black background.

Decryption confirmed.

Condition green.

Booting program.

The screen goes dark once more. Seconds later, new words are typed.

WELCOME TO [ AVA ]

→ MISSION 001
HEAD TO THE CITY CROSSWALK BY 1500. FIND THE [ OTHERS ]. YOUR REWARD WILL BE ANNOUNCED THEN. FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION.

  WELCOME TO [ AVA ]

You can't avoid the mission; you don't have any choice. Any attempt to ignore or avoid it is futile, as convenient coincidences occur all around you as a motivator to go.

Did you have work? For some inexplicable reason, your shift has been cancelled. Were you trying to get some rest? The fire alarm went off and you were evacuated from your home. Did you attempt to travel to another part of the city? The sidewalks and roads have been closed due to a sudden blackout.

No matter what you do, you are compelled to head to the city crosswalk.

For the middle of the afternoon, it's unusually quiet and empty. Despite the heat warning, there should still be more than just a handful of you and a few others, but you won't have the time to ponder about it. Your phone finally reboots and appears to be back to normal - or so it seems. You've got a new app.

[ AVA ]

It's an icon with a white eye. It stares at you, and the screen remains frozen until you press it. It then starts the initialization process.

WELCOME TO [ AVA ]

PEACEFUL DAYS ARE OVER

ALEA IACTA EST

The text vanishes, revealing the app's interface. It's an online social media network with public forums and private messaging, but it's completely devoid of content. It currently only contains the user profiles of those who have signed up for the app, and you are one of them. Your full name, date of birth, personal address, height, weight, and a mugshot that you don't recall taking are all listed on your profile.

You quickly discover that you have no way of deleting or even editing your information. You can't even get rid of the app. The option simply does not exist.

Minutes after opening [ AVA ], you receive a notification. There have been two new forum posts. MISSION 002 and MISSION 003 are the names of the new threads. You open them to read.

→ MISSION 002
NEWCOMERS, WELCOME TO VITAE. YOUR GOAL FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS IS TO SURVIVE. IF YOU ARE ALIVE TO SEE THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH, YOU WILL BE GREATLY REWARDED.

→ MISSION 003
RESIDENTS, BE AWARE OF YOUR ENVIRONMENT. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE THIS CITY. ONLY TRUST THE PEOPLE YOU KNOW. YOUR COMPENSATION WILL BE PROVIDED IN TWO WEEKS' TIME.

These threads allow you to leave comments. What do you do now?

Comments

[whiteshroud]

[Boy...it's a good thing the store's basically empty today thanks to the heat. He eats so loud it causes the other maids to stop and stare because what in God's name is going on-

Jun, being the maid on duty, has to try not to react too heavily. He'll share a look at Winged Kuriboh before smiling ]

G-Glad you like it!

[ehero]

[ how would jun normally react if he wasn't the maid on duty. i need to know ]

Yeah, it's great! I have to thank that girl outside who gave me the coupon. I was just walking by and she handed it to me.

[whiteshroud]

[Probably with a smartass remark]

Haha, oh right. She was worried about you! Said you looked pretty rough.

[ehero]

[ what's a smartass remark about loud eating............ ]

Huh? Why?

[whiteshroud]

[It's a mystery

.........]

Uh....have you looked in a mirror lately, Judai?

[ehero]

Nope.

[ .... yeah ]

[whiteshroud]

You look like an extra from a natural disaster movie.

Except without the natural disaster to blame it on.

[The disaster is you, Judai. It's you]

[ehero]

What's an extra from a natural disaster movie?

[ he only plays card games ]

[whiteshroud]

Filthy, messed up clothing, disheveled and unkempt hair....

[ehero]

What?

[ He pulls at the collar of his shirt to sniff it. It's black because then you can't see the stains.... this is a legit reason why one of the characters wear black so judai does it too ]

I'm not that bad...

[whiteshroud]

It is that bad.

[Jun is nothing but blunt sometimes. ]

[ehero]

[ :( ]

It's not my fault no one wants to hire me...

[whiteshroud]

[ 💧 ]

...You've been applying for jobs in those bloodstained clothes, haven't you?

[ehero]

I don't have any other clothes.

[ The pout is strong with this one. ]

[whiteshroud]

We could try to get you some, you know...

[ehero]

Ehh, it sounds like a lot of work. I think I'll be fine in just these.

[ Like, he needs to find someone to loan him money or clothes? Then apply for a job? Then work? Then repay back that person? Yeaaaaaah, too much work for a slacker. ]

Any new clothes will get ruined anyway if I'm sleeping outside.

[whiteshroud]

[ ....

Ya this guy's a lost cause. Jun can only go so far before apathy sets in]

Haha...well, good luck then! Just keep trying.

[ehero]

[ He nods. yep, there's no point in trying to convince him otherwise. he's a slacker through and through. ]

Thanks for the meal! Oh, uh--

[ He starts to rumble through his pockets. Let's see, where did he put it-- ah! Here we go. He slides a card over the table, placing it in front of Jun. ]

I don't have any money, but here's a card for the tip. That's what you do in America, right? Tip?

[whiteshroud]

Huh?

[He looks at the card that gets slid over to him]

I guess so, but-- are you sure? Doesn't this contain an actual spirit?

[ehero]

Yeah, but most of them are pretty quiet and don't come out of their cards.

[ Asides from Winged Kuriboh and Neos, his duel monsters don't often show up. They just kind of chill and keep to themselves. ]

As long as you take good care of it, the spirit will be fine.

[whiteshroud]

[.....Stares down at the card]

Take care of it like...a normal playing card, right?

Does it need food? [!] Does it need air? Will it suffocate if I put it in a case?

[This is a Lot for a guy whose extent of taking care of a living being is a small cactus. ]

[ehero]

[ wtf that's so cute... Judai is already glad to see that Jun is taking this seriously and asking. ]

No, you don't need to feed it and it'll be fine if you put it in a case. Just don't damage the card or put it in water. As long as you keep it in good condition, it'll be happy.

[whiteshroud]

[He doesn't want to hurt the spirit!! He's thoughtful like that.]

Hm...alright, I think I can handle that.

[This card is going to get the nicest case and be treated with utmost care]

[ehero]

Text me if you have any questions.

[ Judai knew that leaving a card with Jun would be a good idea. With a big smile, he pushes his seat back and gets up. He stretches out his arms by lifting one at a time and pulling at the elbow. ]

All right, time to hit the road. Thanks for keeping me company! C'mon, Winged Kuriboh, let's head out.

[ The little fuzzball seems a little disappointed that he can't sit on Jun's lap anymore, but he gets up regardless. Flying into the air, he waves a little paw at Jun. ]

[whiteshroud]

I will.

[He'll keep looking at the card, not wanting to put it in his pocket and risk damaging it. Maybe he can put it in his locker until the end of his shift and swing by a hobby store...

But ah right, judai and his winged companion are heading out. He gives a little wave to the both of them. ]

Ah, of course! Come back again sometime!