Chapter Text
Going from a room in the Labyrinth to the middle of a farm and holding your groceries is disorienting to say the least.
One moment you were about to call Siffrin and their child, and the next, you were blinded by the tampered sunlight while staring at a vegetable field.
Was all of this a daydream? Or a blessing from another deity or an Expression? You don't remember anything specific happening before the end of whatever vision you just had, only everyone getting ready to move on while Siffrin was letting Lupus draw.
The only points of interest you remember were getting to see the Director in person, learning that Siffrin might have a child who will join you in the Labyrinth somehow, and that there was at least one dead body in the Labyrinth. Only one of these gave information you wouldn't have been able to guess on your own.
Still, you're not even sure if what you saw really happened. You need more information before drawing a proper conclusion.
"Dile!"
You turn around upon hearing Boniface's voice, only to see them running your way. Right, they were playing with some of the town's kids. You don't remember them going to see you however.
"Dile, what happened? Why aren't we in the Labyrinth anymore?"
Ah. So you're not the only one to have experienced that, then.
"I'm not sure, Boniface." you answer, before checking on them. "Are you alright? Do you remember anything strange happening?"
"No... I just felt like there was a tug, and then I was back with the other kids!"
You do remember having a similar feeling as well, so it most likely is related to your current situation. Still, you're curious about one thing.
"Was Lupus there as well? I remember you mentioning you met them this afternoon."
"Yeah, but they left right away like a crab! They didn't even talk to me!"
"I see..."
You're still not sure if everyone else in the party had the same vision you did, but given what Boniface told you, it seems likely to be the case. At the very least, Lupus seems to be included.
You help entertain Boniface until the evening by setting up some targets for their slingshot, and are interrupted twice: once by Siffrin—who doesn't mention anything about a previous trip to the Labyrinth—and once by Isabeau, who was panicking about Siffrin having a bad bleed.
They had looked so out of it, too. And strangely surprised once Mirabelle confirmed that their eye was gone.
After a night barely more restful than the last, you've finally entered the Labyrinth once more. You had received the KAG again, although the Change God did not make an appearance this time. You also "met" the Director once more, courtesy of Mirabelle being a bit trigger-happy and having shot all her bullets. Siffrin also failed to solve the trap again, this time due to him being startled by Lupus trying to shout the solution.
Why the child tried to go back to the Theater Labyrinth on their own instead of looking for their parent, you have no clue.
Still, a short family reunion and unneeded introduction later, you all finally reached the final room you had been in last time. You're not sure why Mirabelle would lead you there again, given that you didn't find anything of note last time, but you might at least figure out what might have caused your collective vision of the future.
Siffrin speaks up after quickly glancing around. "We probably should stay away from the tonics, just in case. We don't know what the Director has done with them."
"Right," Mirabelle answers. "Let's stay away from anything edible then."
You all exit the room without any incident. Had someone interracted with a tonic last time? Was that why you all had memories of the future?
Nonetheless, with this incident now resolved and a key still missing, you all head to the room on the other side of the corridor.
Shattered gems, why does this deity have such a vendetta against Siffrin?!
Anyway, one less than pleasant riddle and dart game later—which you are extremely thankful the children weren't present to witness—, you finally reach the first floor of the Labyrinth only to be hit with a Craft Wave.
Siffrin seems to be doing fine, but you still keep an eye on them just in case. You know from experience that he can hide how bad his condition is, after all.
Still, you couldn't stop them from hitting the very suspiscious object floating in front of a door in time. You can only hope that whatever it was won't have dangerous consequences.
...Of course it was a sky piece. And now, Siffrin is joking around with the Director while playing a life-sized game of checkers, and no one seems to know the rules nor to care about following them. And, since they're Theater Cursed, Siffrin also doesn't seem to care that loosing the game means they will die.
You watch in horror as Siffrin falls into a spike pit after the Director caught their last piece, and you feel a tug on your stomach—
You all rush to the field Siffrin was napping in. Boniface gives you a weird look as you pass by them—thank the Expressions they were excluded from the game, they don't remember their main caretaker dying at least—but you need to make sure Siffrin is alright.
Shattered gems, they just died! Did the same thing happen the first time?! Did he drink the tonic and get poisoned?!?!
You get there some time after Mirabelle, but shortly before Isabeau. Mirabelle is already checking up on Siffrin, and even using some Healing Craft despite his protests. She had also removed their bandages to look over the progress of their Curse, which made their new lack of an eye very apparent. How strange, you thought they had lost it in a bad bleed later in the day, based on the events that happened the first two times.
Siffrin doesn't seem panicked in any way. They also look surprised once more when Mirabelle announces that their eye is gone and she can't do anything about it.
Oh gems.
Siffrin doesn't remember the time loops, does he.
Because this has to be a time loop of sorts. Seeing a potential future once could be brushed off as a vision, but even then, the events felt too real. Shattered gems, did Siffrin truly die twice, with one of those deaths being unnoticed?!
You feel both dread and relief at that realisation. The Director had seemed very focused on Siffrin, and it is likely that the games will get deadlier as they go. The time loop can at least serve as a safety net in case something goes wrong.
Yet, them being necessary in the first place is extremely worrying.
You distantly hear the sound of footsteps , and turn around just in time to see Isabeau leaving in the direction of the Clocktower. Disappointing, but not surprising.
"Just, take it easy for now?" Mirabelle instructs Siffrin. "We'll all meet at the Clocktower later, for a party before we go to the Labyrinth! I'll tell Isabeau about it, so could you tell Bonnie?"
Siffrin nods slightly, and Mirabelle leaves.
"Siffrin, are you alright?" You ask, even though you already know how they'll answer.
They give you a smile. "I'm fine. I knew this was coming, and I couldn't even see out of that eye anyway."
"Luckily, it should come back once we defeat the Director."
You almost let Siffrin leave the field before you remember the small problem you've run into both times.
"Oh, by the way Siffrin, you probably should stop your child from going into the Labyrinth. It’s far too dangerous for someone their age."
Siffrin gives you a strange look. "I thought we’d agreed to let Bonbon come with us?"
"We did. But I’m not talking about Boniface. You need to find Lupus today, and either make sure they don’t go into the Labyrinth tomorrow or get them to stay with us instead of going on their own."
"But I don’t…? Have? A child??? Who are you talking about?!"
You clearly remember Siffrin introducing you to Lupus in the two loops you’ve been through so far.
Gems alive, what is happening?
"You don't remember them? Young, with darkless hair in braids, they wear a big hat like yours and claim that you both are wizards? They usually call you Siffrent?"
Siffrin looks even more lost. You sigh, and try to find an alternative.
"Just, if you see them, can you tell them to meet up with us at the Clocktower this evening at least? That would be helpful."
You both part ways, although you don't head to the Clocktower just yet. You need some time to think.
When you join everyone at the Clocktower, you notice a somewhat familiar hat next to the door. Siffrin managed to convince Lupus to come here, then. Good.
The child is talking animatedly to Mirabelle, telling her an exagerrated tale of their travels with Siffrin. You smile a little at the sight.
You know Boniface is cooking the meal for the party, but you don't see Isabeau anywhere at first. Then, you notice him at the table, a bottle at his side.
Not the most responsible drinking you've seen, but you find that reaction understandable. You would also like a drink to forget about this whole situation for a short while.
"-and then, my other Siffrent came in and saved me! And we've been looking everywhere for Siffrent ever since!"
"So, your other parent is around?" Mirabelle asks Lupus, giving you a worried look at the same time. "Do they know you're here?"
"Yes, I told him I would go find you all! They want to defeat the Director, so we’re going to the Labyrinth again tomorrow!"
You think back to the corpse you found every time you went there, and of how Lupus was always on their own when you ran into them. You don’t like the picture this is painting.
"They've always failed the first puzzle even when I told him the solution, so we always got split up... But I did find Siffrent thanks to that!"
One more person to fight the Director would be appreciated, even if said person is someone you don't know. At the very least, they might be familiar with Siffrin, even if you're not sure why he doesn't remember Lupus right now.
"Lupus, do you think you could convince your other parent to come with us in the Labyrinth instead of you two going on your own? It would be safer for everyone."
The child frowns a bit before they start pouting. "I already tried, they don't wanna. He just said he doesn't work well with other people. And Siffrent is no help, they don't even remember being in the Labyrinth."
"Yes, I did notice that Siffrin isn't included in the time loop." That is quite the issue, considering how the Director is focused on them specifically.
"Wait, really?!" Mirabelle exlaims in surprise.
"Mirabelle." You look at her. "Siffrin didn't remember their eye being gone both times we talked about it."
"Oh!"
"Anyway, I believe Siffrin will arrive soon. How about we all get ready for the party?"
Mirabelle heads outside as you start entertaining the children, and comes back mere minutes later with a drenched Siffrin in tow. You watch as they talk with Lupus and start playing a game of twenty questions, but aside from looking extremely surprised upon seeing them, you don't get any more proof that he doesn't remember the child.
You still wonder what that was about.
You reach the Labyrinth the next day with one more person in your group than the previous two. You once again let Mirabelle pray to the Change God and watch as the star crests you found in your quest combine to create the KAG.
"Can I try to use the KAG?" Lupus asks, giving everyone a heart attack.
"No!"
You quickly remind Mirabelle not to shoot too early, to at least wait until the first puppet is gone, before you all try to enter the Labyrinth. As usual, you are interrupted by a Craft Wave. You probably need to remember when they happen so you can warn Siffrin about them if there's a next time.
You do use the Craft Wave happening as an excuse to get Siffrin to stay behind, Expressions know that they'll be in danger soon if you don't defeat the Director when they first appear, but he started protesting before you even finished talking. And then...
"Wait!" Bonnie shouts, making you all jump. "Something's wrong with Lupus!"
WHAT?!
Oh gems. They're staring off in the distance, their face completely blank, before they slowly snap out of whatever trance they were in. Siffrin starts to calm down sligthly as Lupus starts moving again, and quickly asks them if they had that reaction often.
You've never heard of a Curse—or Blessing, as Lupus calls it—which causes someone to blank out when "getting hurt", which might not be limited to physical injury given that Lupus is unharmed before. You wonder if this is a rather new development for them, considering that Siffrin didn't know about it either.
Still, after that frightful experience, you finally get inside the Theater Labyrinth. Lupus immediately runs ahead of everyone and darts towards a pillar in the room, screaming that they found the switch as they do.
As if on cue, the stairway to the rest of the Labyrinth reveals itself. How strange, for the path forward to be available even without having met the Director.
When you reach the usually empty stage, you are all teleported to the seats in front of it, and you can't help but sigh as you hear Mirabelle shoot all her bullets at what most likely is another puppet.
Except, the Director doesn't appear immediately after the puppet falls?
And now someone else is on the stage???
"Head Housemaiden!!!"
Mirabelle rushes to the stage, stumbling on her words, and you watch as the Head Housemaiden congratulates all of you for saving Vaugarde and defeating... the King...?
You can't do anything but watch as the Head Housemaiden starts dismissing Mirabelle's Blessing as something she gave her instead of the Change God, and you had just noticed the signs of her being Theater Cursed when she started focusing on Siffrin—why always him?—and started breaking down.
When the Director finally shows up, because fae was clearly still alive if the Theater curse is still a thing, there is only one thought going through your head.
This will be far more difficult than you imagined, won't it.