[6/20 (Friday) - Afternoon]
[Vale — Zone 8 (Commercial)]
"—Give him time; he'll probably join up with those other Faunus in the White Fang!"
"You... ignorant little brat!"
"W-What? How dare you talk to me like that! I am your teammate!"
"Hmf, more like you're a judgmental little, naive girl."
"Blake, I am warning you. What in the world makes you say that?"
"Oh, I don't know. The mere fact that you would sort that Faunus boy with a terrorist group solely based on his species makes you just as much of a scoundrel as you believe him to be!"
How had a conversation about skirts and being combat-ready devolved into this...? Clerval thought to himself as the two stepped forward until they were nearly in each other's faces. He had lost focus for all of one second, and now two of his teammates were on the verge of tearing each other's heads off.
Clerval glanced toward Ruby and tilted his head, gesturing toward the escalating argument.
Ruby looked just as confused as he felt. giving him a helpless shrug.
"Um—" Yang awkwardly shuffled to Ruby's side, standing next to Penny, who continued watching the dispute with an oddly cheerful expression. "I think we should probably go."
"Go where?" Penny immediately perked up, sounding excited by the prospect. "I've done some deep research that says malls are the best first-time places for friends to go!"
"Erm... Sure?"
"So you admit it! The White Fang is just a radical group of terrorists!"
"That's not what I meant, and you know it!"
A sudden vibration in his pocket drew Clerval's attention.
Ignoring the increasingly heated argument threatening to erupt before him, he pulled out his Scroll and glanced at the screen.
The moment he read the notification, a faint frown formed on his face.
[Conversation with: MARY (???)]
[Mary: Good afternoon, Wanderer. This is Mary.]
[Mary: Please come to the Velvet Room at your earliest convenience.]
[Mary: A rather intriguing situation has unfolded in the Labyrinth, and my master requests your presence.]
[MARY has gone ???.]
...That was random.
Shutting his Scroll down, he reached over and patted Ruby on the shoulder.
"I'll see you."
"Oh, alright." Ruby glanced uneasily at the escalating shouting match between her two teammates before letting out a sigh of frustration. "We'll see you back at the dorms. Hopefully with both of them still in one piece."
With a wave and a silent prayer for his team leader and Yang, Clerval turned and headed toward a quieter section of the commercial district. Whatever was happening in the Labyrinth had apparently become important enough for the Igor to summon him directly.
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[6/20 (Friday) - Afternoon]
[Velvet Room]
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"Welcome," Igor greeted with his usual bloodshot eyes. "To the Velvet Room."
Seated, Clerval gave both him and Mary a polite nod. "You called me."
His grin widens. "Yes, I have."
With a flick of his wrist, a glowing tarot card materialized in his grasp. He held it loosely, almost indifferently, while his gaze settled on Clerval.
"A most curious development has emerged within the Labyrinth."
"More specifically, at the entranceway leading into the maze itself, a countdown has begun."
Clerval leaned forward slightly in his seat, his expression filled with mild unease.
Igor slid the card across the table toward him, face down, his ever-present grin unaffected.
Picking it up, Clerval turned it over, studying the artwork depicting three wands and the label "Three of Wands."
Without hesitation, he followed his instinct and squeezed his hand.
Blue light burst outward from between his fingers, the crumpled card dissolving into blue motes that seep through his head
"?!"
In that instant, a flicker of an image flashed through his mind. Narrowing his brows, he closed his eyes and steadied his breathing, focusing on the vision.
Above the entrance leading into the first floor of the Labyrinth, a massive stone slab had appeared, carved with a countdown ticking down in the days, hours, minutes, and seconds left.
"... What is this?"
At his question, both Igor and Mary exchanged a brief glance.
"We don't know." Igor's answer stumped him.
Mary took a step forward. "What we do know is that this timer represents the time you have to prepare for combat. My master has ascertained from divining the Arcana that something will occur in the final section of Floor VESTA."
"With that being said," Igor continued, rolling his fingers along the armrest in a slow rhythm.
"While I do understand that your obligations have limited your exploration to the middle sections of Floor VESTA, I urge you to reach the end of the Floor before the countdown reaches zero."
Upon his insistence, Clerval suddenly felt a subtle chill that crawled down his spine. He swallowed the sensation down as he considered the advice in full.
"I will do my best."
"That is all we hope for."
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[6/20 (Friday) - Evening]
[Beacon Academy — Dorm Room]
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Resting his head against his pillow, Clerval lay on his bed deep in thought. The whole exchange in the Velvet Room had left Clerval's mood disturbed, lingering in the back of his mind.
[Now, now. No need to be so weird about it, Wanderer!]
[Just relax and take a breather! We still have some time, after all.]
Pixie whispers in his mind, trying to convince him to sleep on it.
[Pixie is right, my other self. You need to calm down.]
[Rest. A good night's sleep will bring forth a healthy mind. It will serve a better purpose than a disturbed one.]
Omoikane offered his wisdom after Odysseus gave his two cents.
[Exactly what Mr. Odysseus and Mr. Omoikane said! Oh, maybe you can get that frown to turn upside down with some pranking here and there too!]
[... Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Pixie.]
He took a slow breath and lifted his newly purchased watch, its watch face illuminated faintly in the dim room.
A timer was counting down beneath the current time.
[12D : 03H : 18M : 42S]
A quick glance through the calendar confirmed it.
Exactly 12:01 in the morning of July 3rd.
That meant he would need to reach the end of Floor VESTA by the second of July—giving him just eleven days remaining.
Suddenly, frantic knocking slammed against his door.
"C-Clerval! Open up!"
Hearing Ruby's panicked voice from outside, he immediately stepped forward and unlocked the door, swinging it open.
Ruby stood there, her face filled with panic and eyes already glassy from tears.
"I-It's Blake! She—she's gone!"
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TIME TILL THE FIRST DAWN...
[12D : 03H : 18M : 42S]
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NEXT UPDATE: 10 July, Friday
A/N: Ahem. So...
I was busy completing the outstandings from my part-time jobs after finishing my last assignment for the semester. And since I'm working two part-time jobs at once... I didn't have enough time to post, let alone write.
Schedule should be back to normal now... unless something like a fire breaks out again on a nearby house (I won't get into details, but a large fire happened near my house a few days ago. That was a process.)
P.S. We hit the target of 5 new paid Patrons AGAIN, so that means another bonus chapter! I haven't made the poll to decide what fanfic this specific one will be updated yet, but stay tuned for the bonus chapters!
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Proficient Rank Tier - 3 Advanced Chapters and more (Fully Implemented!)
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For every additional 5 new paid members (any tier), I will release 1 bonus chapter of a fanfic of choice, decided through a poll for paid members.
Progress: 0 / 5 (9/7/2026)
Bonus Chapter Pending: 2 (9/7/2026)
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