Part 58: I guess this is just fate or somethin'?

Together now!
Let's DO it!
Piece'a cake!









-A Still World-





Wh-What the...?!
The royal academy? But everything's been drained of color...













And now we know what 'monochrome schoolhouse' was supposed to mean.
Sure is creepy to be in a world of black and white like this, though...
I feel the same way...
Even if it is creepy, however, we still have to explore the grounds from top to bottom, so we may as well get started. There are five buildings in all: the main building, the clubhouse, the girls' dorm, the boys' dorm, and the auditorium. There's also the old schoolhouse, which is accessible via the path at the back of the main grounds.
And there's a 99.99999% chance the old schoolhouse is at the center of any and all creepy shit going on in this vicinity. Give or take 0.00001%.
Good to know.
We're going to need to keep an eye out for those knights prowling around, too.
Right!
Got it!
Right!



















The gate to the old schoolhouse is locked and won't open until you've restored the color to every area of the old schoolhouse.



You accomplish this by tracking down all of the Black Knights roaming the academy, and beating the crap out of them.



















Ignore the red-armored Color Knights.



Killing any of them will despawn all the Black Knights around, and if you had already successfully colorized the area then it will be re-un-colorized. You'll have to leave, come back, and look for more Black Knights to put things right.











Two groups of Knights is enough to restore the girls' dorm.













peekaboo



I SEE YOU











yes I will definitely use this ever























You don't want to know what colors are in the boys' bathroom!!



The walls were painted in that godawful institutional green from like forty years ago. So depressing.







































Don't bother with the front door for the main building; that Color Knight'll getcha.



















Well that was out of nowhere







Now the entire academy is live in color.





With the way most of the Knights just stand around, I was bracing for an 'IT WAS PEOPLE ALL ALONG' horror reveal, but nope. We're good.









-Uninvited Guests-

...Huh?
What...?
What...?
You guys look like you've just seen a ghost or somethin'.
Haha! That surprised to see us here, huh?
Who're you guys? I've never even seen you before.
They're part of the Ravens, a gang that used to hang around in Ruan. They recently passed the exam to become junior bracers, though.
Hey! The hell are you guys doing here?!
They actually became bracers? Cool.
Hmph. Damned if we know.
All of a sudden, we just...were.
Wait. Are you implying...?!
We're not real, by the looks of it.
We're just imitations of our real selves created by someone or something to do battle with you. That's all we're here for.
So you're copies of real people created here like Celeste, huh?
Although unlike her, it was the Lord of Phantasma that created you. Maybe. And if that's the case, you're not gonna let us go without a fight, huh?
Can't say I've got anything against you guys, but fightin' you is what we're here for, so yep.



-Till the Night of Glory-

And if we can't go against it, we might as well enjoy it! Time to pay you back for workin' us to the bone, Agate!
Heh. Show me what you got!
If we have no choice, then let's fight with all we have.



*sigh* I can't help but wonder how we of all folks ended up being created here to fight you...
I guess this is just fate or somethin'?
Just don't even think of holding back. Come at us with all you've got!
You've got it!
Show me what you guys got!





Apart from number boosts across the board, the Ravens are mostly unchanged from their Memory Door.





































-A Still World-



Cruuud...
W-Whew... You got us good...
Heh. Looks like we're gonna have to get a hell of a lot stronger if we wanna rank up to being senior bracers.
Hey! There's no need to be hard on yourselves. You put up a damn good fight.
I agree. You did very well.
Remember what I said after your exam? You've got the strength--how far you can go after this is just a matter of experience.
Make sure you put as much into your bracer work as you did into that battle.
Heh. You just can't resist a chance to act like our teacher, can you?
Either way, it looks like our role in this world is over now.
We've got no way of telling if our real selves are even gonna be aware of what happened here...
...but, well, if you run into us in the real world again, say hi, okay?
Don't get cocky 'cause you won, though. The guy waitin' up ahead is naster than we could dream of.
You're not gonna stand a chance if you don't give it everything you've got.



That's so...something.



They just...vanished.
Heh. Hang around just long enough to say their piece and then off they go.
They left us some pretty useful advice, at least!
Anyone else feel like the purple-haired guy's parting words were on the ominous side?
We're heading towards the old schoolhouse, right?
That's right. It's a stone building that was used by the academy until a few decades ago. It's no longer in use these days.
I'm not sure what Rocco was referring to, but it sounds like we should make sure we're ready before going inside.