SDRA2 Redux: Trouble on Jabberwock Island

Epilogue: A Farawell to All Futures (END)

One Week after the Conclusion of the Killing Game

I woke up in my bed.

It had been a week since we had escaped.

The day the Killing Game had ended, I had woken up in my pod, along with everyone else.

I was now living on the real Jabberwock Island. It was practically identical to the one I had experienced during the Neo World Program.

It was lovely. Plus, there were cocktails and ice creams and lovely food!

None of us had escaped without constant nightmares. Whether it was me flashing back to Nikei dying in my arms, Kokoro seeing Emma's horrible corpse, or all of us being locked in that damned Funhouse, we all had demons that wouldn't leave us the hell alone when we tried to sleep. Medicines helped, but I didn't want to rely too much on them. The other Nikei related nightmares were the worst. The ones where for whatever reason Nikei became the blackened in one of the earlier trials, and was sent off to die horribly again, usually by falling to his death. It was never the same way, but it happened far too frequently.

And I wasn't the only one. My friends had nightmares about how Nikei died all the time. However, unlike my dreams, these nightmares stayed the same every time.

I had met the Kisaragi Foundation members.

One of them was called Kiyoka Maki. She was the Former Ultimate Lucky Student. She was definitely friendly, warm, and so pretty to boot! I wonder if it'd be weird if I could ask her for some advice on therapy...?

Anyways, I think I should cut to the chase.

I got dressed in my old outfit from the virtual world, made sure my tie was secure, combed my hair and then left my cottage.

I headed to the control room on the central island - one of the only things which hadn't existed in the Neo World Program. None of us had set foot in the building since waking up on the real Jabberwock Island. It's where the simulator was stored, along with the pods that entered us into it.

Eleven of the fifteen pods had their lids closed.

Everyone else who died was still asleep in their pods. Imposter took shelter near Setsuka's pod. Syobai huddled near Iroha's pod.

"My memories from the previous game are rather short, because I died so early." Kokoro said, from next to Emma's pod. "It feels entirely different being one of the survivors."

I touched Nikei's pod.

His eyes were closed, as if in peaceful slumber.

The pod felt cold to the touch.

"Hey, guys!" Kiyoka said.

"Ready for your first job as Kisaragi Foundation Members?"

"I'm sure I am." Imposter said as we all turned to face her.

"But you aren't gonna do that job looking like that!" Kiyoka said.

I took a second to stare at myself and my friends. Kiyoka made a valid point. Not only were we all noticeably older, but our bodies had seen better days too. My face was covered in deep scars, Kokoro's pinkie finger was missing, "Teruya" was still recovering from being poisoned by me in the Utsuroshima game and Syobai had covered half of his body in dark tattoos. There was no way we were gonna do go to work looking like this.

"We'll disguise it," Kiyoka said. "For now, head wherever you want with a cocktail. And put on your uniform."

She then gave us all bags.

The sun beamed down on Jabberwock Island, its warm rays reflecting on the beautiful, blue ocean. I was sat on the sand, sipping away at a fruit cocktail served in a glass, and basking in the heat.

Eventually, I got up and decided to open my bag.

Okay, let's see what this baby looks like!

A nice white top that hugged my chest pretty closely, yet didn't feel tight at all. Sweet, they got my size! And a cool black coat that was easy to slip on. A matching pair of slacks, smooth to the touch--also fit me perfectly! And it even had the Kisaragi Foundation emblem on the coat.

"Time to check on Nikei," I heard Imposter shout.

I cracked a small grin.

Time to get to work.

THE END