Eternal Dream Murder Mystery

The halls of the Dream Headquarters are completely empty for once. It is a school night tonight and it is very late. I should not be up at this hour, yet the tendrils of instant gratification and entertainment take hold of me and refuse to relinquish me so that I may enjoy true slumber. That is when I hear a sound. Prior, my footsteps had been the only sound in the area, but other sound...I hear it again. They, too, sound like footsteps. I stop walking, but the sound keeps coming. I grow frightened now and begin to run to the other end of the hall, looking behind me every once in a while to gaze at my pursuer only to see nothing.

With a thud, I bump into someone. Phew...another member..., I think and a relieved smile crosses my face. However, that is only until I see the long, jagged, threatening knife in the member's hand. "What are you doing with that-" I begin, but am cut off. I look down to see the knife plunged deep into my torso, inches away from my heart. The warmth of my own blood permeates my shirt and I gasp for air. My vision grows blurry, and I find myself without life.

* * *

Welcome to the Eternal Dream Murder Mystery~! It looks as though there is a killer among us and the member must be found. Unfortunately, I have been the unfortunate victim for the killer, but any one of you could be next. It is your jobs to find out who it is.

~Rules and Things to Keep in Mind~

1. This event will be similar to a role play.

2. Present tense MUST be used as if it is happening when you post it. An example would be the first two paragraphs of this post.

3. Use first person point of view. A character isn't seeing this...you are. Use "I". Look to the first two paragraphs as an example once again.

4. The setting is the world of Eternal Dream. The Dream Headquarters is a labyrinthine building with halls of white marble and myriad doors. The Room of Generality is the main room in the Dream Headquarters and is similar to a lounge with comfy armchairs and sofas, ornate tables, and a warm fireplace. The Glade of Roleplaying is a beautiful spot in the forest just outside of the Dream Headquarters. A gentle river flows through it and woodland animals frequent the spot. The Hall of Visualization is a special hallway in the DH (Dream Headquarters) that is full of artwork of all kinds. The Vortex of Words lies in a different dimension in which a single enormous platform of stone exists. All around, thousands of words fly by in a storm. The area is connected to the DH through a special door with a tornado emblem upon it. To the east of the DH lies the Meadow of Melodies. Every flower in this expansive and joyful meadow releases some sort of sound and often perform different songs on a whim. The Isle of Entertainment is an island in the middle of the sea past the Meadow of Melodies. Thousands of games and the such are located here expressly for entertaining members. The most dangerous place is the Wasteland of Destruction that lies to the immediate south of the DH. Here is a land in which no plants grow. The soil is arid and holds no moisture. Even cacti find it hard to survive. This unexplored region lies steeped in mystery. No one knows what's truly out there....

5. People are going to lie. If someone confesses to be the killer, they're probably lying. If someone says they're not the killer, they're probably lying. Either way, there is no true way of knowing. The decision upon who the killer is must be anonymous. EVERYONE must agree on who it is. When the killer is decided upon, the remaining members will kill that person. However, if it is the wrong killer, another victim will turn up.

6. When the REAL killer is found or the last person alive dies, the event is over.

7. Every once in a while, the killer will claim another victim. I will post for the killer so that the killer's identity will remain protected. If you are chosen to be a victim, there is nothing you can do. You are dead. The end. No fighting back. No immortality. You are dead.

8. For the dead people--after you are dead, you cannot be brought back to life and you cannot contribute to the pursuance of the killer. So pretty much, you can't post here anymore. It would be pointless.

I think that's everything. ^ ^ Also, I am taking the role of the narrator, so I can speak in third person. The rest of you MUST stick to first.

* * *

The next morning, Masquerade's body is still lying in the hallway, his blood forming a horrid puddle on the white marble floor. Attention to the deceased is inevitable and everyone finds themselves at the murder scene.

* * *

Okay people~! Post your thoughts as you discover the scene! What would really go through your mind if you discovered a dead body? Knowing that there was a killer among your friends, what would you do? How would you truly feel? Make it convincing people~! XD

START!

((I'm assuming that the killer has already been chosen among us?))

I wake up and reach for my alarm clock which is currently ringing in an annoying tone. I slam the top of it down, causing the odd noise to stop. Everything seems oddly quiet this morning, different than usually, maybe I'm the first person up for once. As I leave my room, I glance around the hallways, I couldn't find anyone. Everyone seems to be asleep at the moment, just like I thought.

I've been walking around the halls for a good fifteen minutes now, I still haven't seen anyone leave their rooms, did something happen? I don't know. Soon enough, I see a mutilated, bloody corpse in front of me. I'm holding back a large amount of barf that had formed inside of my mouth, the sight truly looks gruesome. I quickly turn around and return to the Room of Generality. I arrived in the Room and take a seat on the bright, white couch next to the fire. As I gaze into the fire, I wonder why someone would do such a thing.

((I think it'll be difficult to get every member to participate, so how will we decide who participates? Will we just work with the first 5-10 people that post, or what?))

((Sorry for the not-so-great-post, by the way, I'm not too great in the Present Tense.))

I look down at the dead body, it was the owner of all the buildings in the area. He thought he could run it single handedly. I just laughed horribly at the dead body. I suspected suicide or a murderer who knows what they're doing. I couldn't be bothered with a dead body anyway. I might as well hang around and listen to what some of the others have to say about it. This was a work of art, and both I, and the killer, know that.

((All characters can be chosen as victims--I will NOT wait for everyone to share their thoughts. Maybe some people don't find this body? There will be others...and not posting does NOT make them invulnerable to being murdered >=3 And yes. The killer has already been chosen.))

Masquerade wrote:((All characters can be chosen as victims--I will NOT wait for everyone to share their thoughts. Maybe some people don't find this body? There will be others...and not posting does NOT make them invulnerable to being murdered >=3 And yes. The killer has already been chosen.))

((So this event will last until the killer is found or until all 21 innocents are killed?))

((That would be correct. Didn't I post that??))

I yawned loudly, sleeping was one of the greatest things I ever have, or ever will experience. Just like food, food is good, so I eat it. Sleep is good, so I participate in it frequently.

Anyway, standing up from my bed, I quickly dress myself in appropriate clothing for the day. I heard yesterday that today will be hot, so a light and casual attire will suffice. After dressing, I opened the door and, bracing myself for the burst of bright light, began to walk.

After a few minutes of my morning stroll, I come across a rather odd sight. Terrifying, yet odd. Masquerade lay on the floor, stone cold. Red blood visible underneath him, I silently put my hands to my mouth, completely shocked.

Who could have done this? No one but the other members knew how to get in here. "Does that mean one of the others killed him?" I ask myself, "...No, I can't believe that. No one here would...would they?"

Still confused, I slowly make my way to the Room of Generality, where I see Durn had arrived before me. I walk up to him, my question to him in mind, but I don't say even a whisper of a word. Not one noise escapes from my mouth.

Finally finishing a light breakfast of cereal, I began sauntering through the hallways of the DHQ. I found it odd no one was present as I peered into various rooms and random corridors on my stroll. As I turned a corner, I found some irony in the fact most of my fellow members were in this one hallway. As I began to get lost in this single thought, I was interrupted by the presence of Masquerade's corpse.

The horrid sight inspired a strong feeling of sickness in me, but I prevailed over my nausea with time. Still staring at the scene I was overcome by a mixture of anxiety and disbelief. After all, who would want to do such a thing?

I sighed deeply, and leaned against a nearby wall, observing others\' body language for any signs of glee. Killer or not, staying away from them would be a wise choice. While browsing everyone\'s reactions, I drank some soda to wash down the bitter taste of bile.

((This reminds me of Umineko. I like it. :3))

((I know rite? xD I was reminded of Umineko too.))

(Mind if it was the hall right outside me room?)

I heard something moving last night, something unexplainable. I was too tired to check what it was, and maybe, I could have stopped this if I did. Instead of getting up and looking, I simply went back to sleep.

The next morning, when I woke, I stood, stretching, and I thought I heard someone outside my door. I wandered over to the door, drowsy as I was, and opened it. I flung the door shut with shock as I saw the body on the floor and, jumping to conclusions. I slid over to my bed and picked up my sword and threw on some robes. I burst out the door, my sword drawn. "What the hell happened here?!"

I knew from pure instincts, that, if this was a murder, the positioning of my room would point to me.

(So would that sword you're holding there. >.>)

I awoke much earlier and didn’t find anything odd, save the blood-stained body of Masq-kun. But I didn’t care to investigate the matter. In fact, I completely ignored it for now. I proceed as usual and went to set up a trap in front of Aka-cha’s room. The trap includes a jump rope in front of his room door to trip him, a bucket of nails suspended which will fall once he trips over the jump rope, and a huge bowl of ink for him to fall in once he does trip. But I found that the room was unlocked and empty, which meant that Aka-cha~ had woke up before me. I went on to eat breakfast, take a shower, and proceed to the Meadow of Melodies like any normal day.

In the meadow, I sat down on the soft cool grass. The morning dew instantly cooled my body and the relaxing melodies from the flowers completely cleared and calmed my troubled mind. The odd thing is, my mind had almost never been troubled, so why is it now? It definitely isn’t because of the murder, for I never care about these kinds of things much. I uttered a slight sigh and stared up into the sky, letting the smooth melodies lull me back to sleep.

(Kuori... the murder was right outside me room...)

TheAkamu wrote:(Kuori... the murder was right outside me room...)

I know...but you should know that I’m the kind of person who doesn’t worry about things like this until I really need to...^^;

I jumped at the sudden commotion caused by Akamu, and immediately questioned why he would bring a sword, a drawn sword, at that, to a murder scene just outside his room? Although impulse is useful, it will most definitely find no place in the presence of the anxiety and fear this murder has produced.

Although I myself see this course of action pathetic, I suppose it would be better to play it safe and stick with everyone else. Hopefully they'll decide sticking together would be a smarter move than simply staying in pair, or worse; alone.

Avoiding all eye contact with Zeri, I glance into the fire as I was before she walked into the room. "W-Why did this happen?" I stutter as I look into the glowing, flourishing, golden fire. The fire sways from left to right, as if it's dancing. I looked up towards the extremely high ceiling of the Room of Generality. "Why would anyone want to kill our very own leader? The man who keeps everything here sane?" I ask Zeri.

After asking the question, I then glanced at the fire once again in a saddened, melancholy mood. As I wave my hand over the warm, welcoming fire, I hear a noise in the distance, it sounds as if it's coming from the hall in which Masquerade was killed.

My face creased into a frown as everyone looked suprised as I did, except Kuori, who wasn't here. I looked around before kneeling over the body and inspecting it, also taking a smell. "Hmmm... it appears that he was killed by a sharp object plunged right near his heart..." I pointed to the wound. "And the smell is masked, so I can't tell the scent of who did it..." I stood up, my legs up to my knees were coated in Masq's blood. "Apparently, it has to be someone in this area, as no one but us knows how to get in here..." I sighed, taking another glance down.

"However, It appears that it had to be someone very, very smart, to make sure that they left no visible traces..." I looked up, my face drained of color. "Whoever did this... is among us... as we speak..." He had thoughts of beheading the person who did this and his mouth twisted into a smile.

So, here I am, in the Room of Generality... nothing much to do right now except that there's a murdered between us -Masquerade's murderer- as he was found lying on the ground with a deep knife wound that killed him within mere seconds after the impact. Amazing.
Anyways, I'm laying down on an armchair, reading some random book I found... and I'm bored, I feel like going to sleep right now, even when it's morning. But I don't, of course.

I was in a state of pure joy.

Free. Nothing could touch me, nothing could hurt me.

I was flying. Flying through the expansive sky that was everlasting in its form. I could feel the wind flow around me, through my light wings the color of snow.

Pure joy. Until...... a blaring sound, angry in nature, made itself known in my mind. I could feel the noise cripple my thoughts, paralyzing my graceful form. All knowledge of flight dissapeared in an instant, and I forgot how to flex my muscles and move my wings. Losing momentum, I quickly plummeted into the ground.

-------

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*

I awoke with a start, flinging my hand out to strike the alarm clock. The rapid strike made it fly through the air and hit the wall. Its loud cry instantly quieted.

"Mmnn." I groan. I look around my dimly lit room and collapse back on the bed. "I guess I better wake up..." I slowly got up and head into my closet. I pull out the separate clothes that would compose my outfit for the day and walk out the door.

"I think I'll go the Glade of Roleplaying today, Masq is probably over there."

---

As I reach the glade and find no one there, I decide that I would enjoy the calm environment of the place. Sitting on a log, I pull my sketch pad out of my bag and begin drawing.

I suddenly awoke as if my body forced itself awake for some strange reason. It had never done that before, and I think it’s because there was just a murder and my body feels uneasy even though my mind doesn’t. But I can’t blame myself for that, after all, anyone with the intent on avenging Masq-kun would, but I’ll worry about that later. Right now, staying alive was my top priority as I felt unsafe in the open with no one else to help me. Sitting up, I stretched and made my way down the halls back to the scene of the murder. Everyone was still there, and even Aka-cha~ was on guard standing beside the corpse with his sword drawn. I think that most people would suspect Aka-cha~ since he is after all, the one with the most homicidal intent of the group. But I know better to suspect Aka-cha~, even though he’s violent he wouldn’t go as far as to killing someone with no reason. And there seemed to have been no bad blood in between Aka-cha~ and Masq-kun, so to speak.
“Okay...so does anyone want to go find the others before they’re killed?” I asked.

When I woke from my blurred dreams, I lay there on the ground wondering why I was hearing music. I wasn't wearing my headphones, and it felt like I was outside somewhere. I slowly lift my head to see that I'm surrounded by flowers, the singing flowers of the Meadow of Melodies. I smile. No one knows that I like it here best, away from most of the chatter I usually participate in in the Room of Generality and my occasional run through the Glade of Roleplaying.

After a few minutes, I get up off the soft ground and stretch, groaning and giving a satisfied sigh. My stomach growls at me and I decide that I'm hungry then run off to the Dream Headquarters, the only place I'll ever want to be because, well, who'd want to leave?

I go through the huge double doors, walk through the white marble halls, in search of the kitchens where I can eat anything I can imagine, even lots of pi, with a little csc on the side I think. Not long after thinking this, I see a lot of the members gathered in a hallway. They seemed to be gathered around something in the middle. I frown and go to investigate. I push people out of the way, muttering polite "Excuse me." 's. Once past the last line of the crowd, I gasp as I see my friend Masq lying on the white floor, in a pool of blood. I feel nauseous for a second or two, and realize in some corner of my mind that the scene looks rather like something I've seen on a TV show or a movie. I am in shock for another couple seconds, then shout "Oh my God! Masq!" the rest of what I shout are incoherent attempts to form intelligible sentences. I do this for at least a minute and then shutup. The rational part of my mind is taking over. Apparently it's turned hysterical too because I burst into tears and run off in search of Obli, my other friend. In that odd corner of my mind, I think that he's probably either in the Room of Generality or in the Glade of Roleplaying. I don't want to be in the halls anymore, so I run outside to the Glade.

"Obli! Obli! Answer me damnit, Obli!" I'm shouting and sobbing at the same time. Even the Glade doesn't seem peaceful enough for me today, because it has no effect on the sadness or anguish that's coursing through my mind. I don't even know if it is sadness. Maybe I'm angry, or maybe I'm even afraid. I won't know until much later from now, when I can collect myself and brood. But Obli must know, I think. He's got to.

I slowly stood up, sighing, and swinging my sword back into its hilt. My face was a mixture of anger and sorrow. "No one would kill Masq without being completely insane, if anyone goes off alone, I can almost guarentee you will die" He looked around the crowd, slightly smiling. "I'm not telling you to anything, I'm just recommending to your better interest..." He laughed and turned to Kuori. "We should go find other people, but it's risky, I say we stick together..." He laughed and looked over the crowd again, writing something down on a slip of paper. "Trust me on this one, I'm an expert... a killer will always do what they can to make sure they can murder unnoticed."

I frowned, this is where I had to stop him. Stepping forward, I grab Kuori's arm and drag her away from Akamu. I ignore the looks sent toward me, and instead position Kuori behind you, like a mother would protect her child. I guess its instinct.

"Don't run off just yet," I say to him, "Wandering in groups of two is risky, what if one of them is the killer? You're sure starting to act like one." Before anyone had a chance to counter, I spoke again, "I say we all stick together in groups of three or four. The killer won't be able to move freely if there are two or more people wandering together."

I take Kuori by the hand, and walk to Durn, "Durn, come with me please." I say to him, "I want to speak with both of you, Durn and Kuori. The rest of you stick together!"