Voice of a Lost Soul
An item exchange event that ran on March 31, 2022 for two weeks.
This event introduced a new multi-fusion demon, Sraosha. An archangel-team compatible Herald who became useful in the pvp meta for some time on account of being an excellent support for turn 1 teams. The gemmed variant has been hard to find in subsequent banners.
Prologue
> Somewhere in Tokyo...
Girl: *Pant*
Demon (Incubus): *Cackle* Run. Run all ya want!
Demon (Grendel): I'm still gonna catch ya!
Girl: *Pant* Damn...!
Girl: I can't lose that thing...!
Girl: ...! No, a dead end...
> The girl scans her surroundings but can't find an escape route.
Demon (Grendel): Looks like it's game over, huh?
Girl: *Grunt*
Demon (Grendel): Just give up. You're doomed to be our next meal!
Girl: ...!
Girl: (Goddammit...!)
???: Devil Download!
Girl: !?
Demon (Incubus): Aaargh!
Girl: Wait... Wha... !?
CHOICE: Are you okay?
CHOICE: You seem okay.
> Both choices lead to the same conclusion.
END OF CHOICE
Girl: ...
Ririn: Hey. Hey! Can you hear me?
Seiran: She seems out of it. I guess it's only natural.
Seiran: Not knowing just what's going on must be...
Girl: A Decoherence field...
Girl: Are... Are you a Dx2?
Seiran: Oh?
Jeng Yun: So, you know what a Dx2 is.
Jeng Yun: Yes, we're Liberators.
Girl: Oh... Good...
> The girl slumps to the ground.
Ririn: Whoa, are you really okay? Are you hurt?
Girl: No, I just lost my balance...
Girl: I'm so pathetic, being a Dx2 and all.
Ririn: Wait, you are?!
Girl: Yep, I'm even a Liberator just like you.
Seiran: Oh, you must be from a different Branch.
Ririn: Wait. Then why did you run?
Ririn: Couldn't you have just summoned a demon?
Girl: I would have... But I couldn't find my phone.
Girl: I remember going out to investigate, finding a demon and going in as support.
Girl: But I lost consciousness somewhere along the way and my phone was gone when I came to.
Girl: I was attacked by that thing while I was still looking around.
Seiran: And then you ran into us.
Girl: Right... And still I need to find my phone.
CHOICE: We'll help.
Girl: Huh?
Seiran: Oh, is that so? A do gooder as usual.
Seiran: But I do like that part of you.
Jeng Yun: Yes, great idea!
CHOICE: Good luck.
Ririn: What do you mean, "good luck..."
Ririn: That's hardly what you're supposed to say!
END OF CHOICE
Jeng Yun: If it's alright, we'd like to help locate your phone.
Ririn: Yeah. We can keep you protected too!
Girl: No, that's alright!
Girl: I'm sure you're all busy with other things too...
Seiran: Oh, don't worry about us. We can't just leave you like this either.
Seiran: Right now, you're not a Dx2 and no different from a regular person.
Seiran: If another demon attacks you, wouldn't you be completely helpless?
Girl: I... Well...
Seiran: You know what a Liberator would do in this kind of situation, right?
Girl: I understand... But I'm sorry for being such a bother.
Girl: I'll make sure not to hold you guys back.
Girl: And thank you.
Part 1
Seiran: Hmm, there's no trace of your phone anywhere.
Girl: ...
Seiran: I'm sorry. Even with us here, you must feel so naked without a way to defend yourself.
Girl: Oh, no! Not at all. It's just that...
Girl: I feel bad having you help me until it's so late every night.
Girl: And for letting me stay at your base, too...
Ririn: Don't worry. Let's make sure we find your phone!
Seiran: But we've already checked...
???: ...There you are.
Seiran: !! Who's there?!
> A bright flash of white light, and then...
Demon (Sraosha): ...
Seiran: An unusual case, I presume?
Seiran: And may I ask who you are?
Demon (Sraosha): ...Ah, a Devil Downloader.
Demon (Sraosha): Please don't misunderstand. I have no quarrel with you.
Sraosha: I am Sraosha.
Sraosha: I ferry lost souls to where they are to be judged.
> Sraosha presents his hand to the girl.
Sraosha: You, girl. Come with me.
Girl: ...Me?
(Player Name): ...
> Everyone, including yourself, steps forward to make a stand.
Sraosha: Again, I have no quarrel with the rest of you.
Seiran: Whatever your quarrel is, we're here to protect her.
Seiran: We're not letting her go without a good reason.
Ririn: Right. She's a Liberator like the rest of us.
Girl: You guys...
Seiran: And just what do you mean by where souls are judged?
Seiran: Why does she need to be taken to this place?
Sraosha: I see. You don't... Nevermind.
Sraosha: She isn't even aware of what's befallen her.
Sraosha: Your friend there has already lost her life.
Girl: ...What?
Ririn: W-W-What?! Wait, she's dead?
Sraosha: Correct. Her soul wandered its way to you.
Ririn: No, that can't be right... I can see and feel her just fine...?
Sraosha: A common occurrence with freshly departed souls.
Girl: Dead... I'm dead...?
Girl: ...I see. It all makes sense now.
Girl: Something felt wrong this whole time.
Girl: Everything felt off after waking back up.
Girl: It felt like I was dreaming maybe.
Sraosha: In this world, information is bolstered when passed through flesh.
Sraosha: Without that, it's only natural to feel a deficiency.
Ririn: So she's really...?
Sraosha: Yes, unmistakably... Or...?
Sraosha: Ah, so that's it... Her soul is incomplete.
Jeng Yun: Incomplete?
Sraosha: A piece of her soul is missing in other words.
Sraosha: In this state, her soul cannot be properly judged as good or evil.
Sraosha: To put it another way, she cannot properly die.
Sraosha: And it's very difficult for a soul to keep persisting on its own in this world.
Sraosha: If she does not go to where she must, she will eventually disappear.
Jeng Yun: But... Isn't there any way to save her?
Sraosha: The missing piece of her soul must be recovered to make her whole once more.
Ririn: The missing piece... Any ideas where it could be?
Girl: I couldn't say where if... Wait.
Girl: Is it because I was killed after losing to that demon?
Seiran: Didn't you say you were attacked while out investigating?
Girl: Yep. I was hit by an attack and lost consciousness.
Girl: But by then I might've already been...
Jeng Yun: Then let's go find that demon! All we have to do is beat it!
Ririn: Y-Yeah... What a muscle head.
Seiran: It's better than just sitting around here.
Seiran: Let's get going.
Sraosha: I shall join you.
Sraosha: My job is to protect and ferry the souls of the dead after all.
Seiran: If you're willing to help us, you're more than welcome to join.
Seiran: Time to investigate!
Part 2
Ririn: Hey, isn't this it?! I found it stuck between these boxes!
> Ririn hoists up a smartphone with a cute-looking case.
Girl: That's it! My phone!
Jeng Yun: Nice work, Ririn!
Ririn: Ha, who knew my talent for finding loose change would come in handy here.
Ririn: Life is really full of surprises.
Seiran: You worry me by saying stuff like that, Ririn...
Seiran: But what a relief.
Girl: Thank you so much!
Girl: I want to return the favor but... Being dead and all...
Ririn: What? You're so polite. But if you say so...
Ririn: Maybe just a quick one~♡
Girl: *Squeal*
CHOICE: Come here.
Girl: Umm, okay...
Ririn: Damn you rookie... You opportunist...!
CHOICE: Ririn, stay.
Ririn: You're never saying "go" after that "stay"!
Ririn: Forget it! Outta my way!
END OF CHOICE
Jeng Yun: But it's still too soon to talk about a reward.
Girl: Huh?
Seiran: Right. We still haven't found the demon that killed you.
Seiran: This won't be over until we defeat it.
Girl: Wait... You'll come with me?
CHOICE: Of course.
CHOICE: It's too dangerous to go alone.
> Both choices lead to the same conclusion.
END OF CHOICE
Girl: ...Why are you guys so nice to me?
Girl: I'm dead.
Girl: I don't even know if I can pay you guys back for this.
Ririn: Umm... Because. We already jumped on board, I guess?
Ririn: Didn't really think about it... Just lending a hand maybe?
CHOICE: We're friends.
Jeng Yun: Yes, true.
Jeng Yun: We may be from different Branches but we're still Liberators.
Jeng Yun: No reason needed to help you out.
CHOICE: With occasional fees.
Ririn: 100 Yen each time ♪
Ririn: Why are you bringing that up now?!
Ririn: And what are you laughing at, rookie?!
Ririn: I know right from wrong just like anyone else.
Ririn: And I'm not some tightwad that squeezes what I can out of a friend in need!
Ririn: ...Well, maybe.
END OF CHOICE
Seiran: You haven't seemed like the refusing type ever since we saved you, but I'm sure your friends would've done the same, right?
Girl: Umm, sure... Up until that time, I think so.
Jeng Yun: Until what time? They wouldn't now?
Girl: ...I don't know. They might've helped if I asked, maybe?
Ririn: Maybe?
Girl: There were all kinds of people in my Branch.
Girl: Different opinions, social statuses and lifestyles...
Girl: If I weren't a Liberator, I probably never would've met anyone like them.
Girl: And none of us wanted the Acolytes to get their way, especially considering how they did things.
Girl: We all believed in that and we're doing pretty well.
Girl: And even though I was younger than everyone else, I was welcomed by them.
Seiran: ...So far it sounds alright, but was there a problem?
Girl: Do you remember when we couldn't contact HQ or the other branches?
Girl: We even heard that the Acolytes were destroyed, and that started having trouble distinguishing fact from fiction.
Girl: Our "goal" as Liberators became less and less clear.
Girl: Slowly... Very slowly, we started to drift apart.
Girl: Everything started to feel so charged, and arguments broke out more and more.
Girl: Some even stopped showing up at the base...
Girl: They all ended up moving in different directions.
Girl: I didn't know who to follow or what to think, and ended up believing I had to make it on my own.
Ririn: But that means...
Girl: The day I died, I was investigating by myself.
Girl: I was fine until I found a demon, and... Well, you know.
Jeng Yun: ...Why didn't you call for backup?
Girl: I didn't want to create another reason for the others to fight, so I hesitated.
Girl: Why they let me be by myself or why I decided to go out by myself was because another fight was about to start and I was sick of it.
Girl: I made myself think that I had to work things out by myself, so I didn't call for backup.
Girl: And I ended up dying because of that. I'm such an idiot.
Girl: But I think I was really scared too.
Ririn: Scared...?
Girl: ...Too scared to call for help.
Girl: I was scared of what would happen if no one came.
Girl: I was scared that we'd fall further apart.
Girl: I was scared of all the change.
Girl: Oh, but! Not everyone's to blame!
Girl: It was my fault for not speaking up...
Ririn: ...Aaaahh! Stop!
Girl: Wha...?!
> Ririn hugs the girl tight!
Ririn: Ah, dammit! Your friends suck!
Ririn: You're just a little kid. How could they let this happen to you?!
Ririn: It's okay to speak up!
Ririn: When you're down, you say you're down. When you're scared, you say you're scared.
Ririn: When you want help, it's okay to ask for it!
Ririn: They're your friends...
Ririn: A little kid shouldn't have to tiptoe around everyone and feel this way!
Ririn: And letting you die on top of that!
Girl: Ririn...
Seiran: Right. And you're trying to go by yourself again too.
Seiran: Doesn't it seem foolish to go up alone against an opponent that you've already lost to?
Jeng Yun: Please just ask. Let us hear how you really feel.
Sraosha: It's as these Devil Downloaders say.
Sraosha: I may be able to hear the calls of the distressed from far and wide, but even I cannot hear the voice of a lost soul.
Sraosha: Human. Speak when you require aid.
Sraosha: There is no sin in doing so.
Girl: ...
Girl: ...O-Okay.
Girl: S-So to beat this demon, I want you to lend me a hand.
Girl: Please, help me.
Epilogue
Ririn: ...Found it. It has to be that.
> In a dimly lit warehouse, a demon draws a magic circle...
Girl: Uh, what's it doing...
Seiran: ...Nothing good, I imagine.
Seiran: That magic circle has evil written all over it.
Seiran: I have to think it's black magic and...
Seiran: It can't be a coincidence that we're on top of a huge Dragon Stream.
Seiran: It shouldn't have a big impact on the world, but it might be enough to alter the way people think and feel.
Sraosha: Is that so...?
Sraosha: Enough to pit one another in a violent struggle?
Seiran: It's possible. That's also probably not the whole story.
Sraosha: Such evil...!
Demon (Rangda): Calamity... Malediction...
Demon (Rangda): Take the soul of this untainted child and let disaster reign over this world...
Demon (Rangda): *Snicker*
> From Rangda's hands, a glowing ball of light appears.
Sraosha: ...!
Sraosha: That... So this is the evil creature in possession of the missing piece.
Sraosha: Defiling the dead, and manipulating others with this evil ceremony...
Sraosha: By my name, there shall be punishment!
> Sraosha flies forward!
Sraosha: *Roar*
Demon (Rangda): ...!
Demon (Rangda): What... Who are you?
Demon (Rangda): Why do you interrupt my ceremony?
Sraosha: No more talk. Relinquish that soul to me at once.
Demon (Rangda): Oh, relinquish you say?
Demon (Rangda): ...Hm.
Girl: ...
Demon (Rangda): *Cackle* I see, I see!
Demon (Rangda): You're that girl.
Demon (Rangda): But I killed you and took your soul.
Demon (Rangda): How...?
Demon (Rangda): Oh, I see. You're just a remnant!
Girl: ...That's my soul, right? I'm here to take it back.
Demon (Rangda): Take it back? After already losing to me?
Girl: *Sob*
Girl: I-I won't lose again! This time... I'm not alone!
Ririn: That's right! We came to kick your ass!
Jeng Yun: I hope you're ready. We're no pushovers!
Demon (Rangda): *Chuckle* Then so it shall be!
Demon (Rangda): I'll turn you all into sacrifices for my ceremony!
> Demons spew out of the magic circle...!
Seiran: Here they come!
> The fight against Rangda rages on...
Demon (Ikusa): *Cackle*
Girl: *Wince*
Jeng Yun: Oh no you don't!
Demon (Ikusa): *Groan*
Jeng Yun: Are you alright? Leave first aid to me!
Girl: ...! Thanks!
Demon (Chupacabra): *Growl* ...!
Seiran: Don't look away. You're fighting me, right?
Ririn: It's now or never! Let's get the boss!
Girl: Y-Yeah!
> Ririn and the girl make their way towards Rangda!
Demon (Rangda): *Puff* Such impudence...!!
Demon (Rangda): *Scream*
Ririn: Shit, I'm...!
Sraosha: *Puff*
Girl: ...Sraosha!
Demon (Rangda): ...! Stop interfering...!
Sraosha: Now's your chance! Go!
Girl: Yes! Devil download!
Demon (Rangda): *Scream*
> Rangda begins to disappear.
Girl: We... We did it! We won! We won!
> The ball of light falls away from Rangda, and slowly gravitates towards the girl.
Girl: Huh... What the?! I'm glowing...
Sraosha: Your soul has been made whole. Luckily, we weren't too late.
Girl: Too late?
Sraosha: ...Truth be told, you were on the verge of disappearing.
Sraosha: Without the help of these Devil Downloaders, you likely would have run out of time.
Girl: Oh, really...
Sraosha: However, now that your soul is once again whole, you are now properly dead.
Sraosha: Your time in this world is coming to an end.
Girl: ...Right. It's okay. I don't think I have any regrets.
> The girl turns your way.
Girl: Thanks for helping me out.
Girl: For giving me a hand when I had a hard time asking for it, thank you.
Girl: For not letting me be such a lonely Dx2, and letting me be a Liberator like you guys, thank you!
Girl: I hope you'll always be this nice!
> The girl takes Sraosha's hand and starts to fade...
> They vanish completely and the girl's phone makes a cracking noise as it falls to the ground.
> It expends its last ounce of energy and turns off.
Jeng Yun: ...
Ririn: *Sob*
Jeng Yun: Ririn. Please don't cry.
Ririn: I... I know. I know but...
Ririn: It's just hard when they could've been your little brother or sister.
Ririn: It's frustrating... I just wanted her to live her life a little more.
Jeng Yun: Ririn. You're so kind.
Jeng Yun: I really do like that part of you!
Ririn: ...Yeah, and if only you were a beautiful, muscly girl, Jeng Yun.
Ririn: But thanks. I'm okay now!
Seiran: There's still a problem though...
Seiran: Not being able to contact HQ or the other Branches is serious.
Seiran: That girl's Branch may or may not have been the only one that was affected.
Seiran: It's too hard to say for sure...
Jeng Yun: We were fine so it's alright.
Jeng Yun: We trusted in each other, worked together, and made it this far.
Jeng Yun: And it won't change any time soon!
CHOICE: Of course.
Ririn: Yeah!
Ririn: Even this time, we saved that kid because we worked together!
Ririn: I guess in the end, you're all someone I can rely on.
Jeng Yun: Yes. We're ten times stronger when we work together.
Jeng Yun: My favorite heroes all protect this world by doing just that.
Jeng Yun: Together as one!
Ririn: Well, we're not heroes or anything though.
CHOICE: You never know.
Seiran: (Player Name), you're so harsh.
Seiran: I'm amazed you can say something like that in this situation.
Seiran: But there may be arguments from time to time.
Seiran: We are strangers, technically.
Seiran: If that happens, we just need to make sure they don't stay unresolved.
Jeng Yun: Oh... So you mean...
Jeng Yun: We should come to an understanding by duking it out by the river!
Jeng Yun: I always wanted to do that!
Ririn: I'm not sure anyone will join you, Jeng Yun...
END OF CHOICE
Ririn: But after all that crying, I'm starved!
Seiran: Me too. Let's get something to eat!
(Player Name): ...
> The girl's phone still sits on the ground.
> You pick it up, stick it in your pocket and rejoin the others.