Waking Dream - Devil Survivor CYOA

A. Sorry, Waite, but...an entire decade seems like a loooooong time. And we've got things to do in the real world too.

I say B for hyperbolic eldritch location shenanigins

You decide to stay.  If what she says is true and you can really train for years in the span of minutes, this isn't something you can pass up.

Waite smiles and directs you as you set up camp and gather food.  It takes a while, especially in this foreign body, but you manage to get a decent shelter together.  The food you manage to scavenge tastes strange, and you have to force it down.  You have trouble sleeping that night, on this weird beach on this alien planet... with a strange woman.

Over the next few days, you gradually start to adjust.  You improve the camp a bit every night until it starts to resemble a proper living space.  You grow more used to the body.  At first, your mind couldn't get around the multiple-jointed arms, using only one, but you slowly learn to take advantage of it.  You find whatever you are, it's adapted to life in the water, more than on land - you learn to swim with exceptional grace and agility.  But... you also learn you're near the bottom of the food chain.  More than once, Waite's magic is the difference between escaping some giant beast or becoming its dinner.  You choose to spend the majority of your time on land, where animal life is relatively scarce, but fruit is plentiful.  A handful of berries and a few smaller fish every now and again seems to be all your new body needs.

You were a bit worried Waite might try... something, but she's far too busy for romance.  Her lessons are difficult, at first.  But, as she promised, you begin forming connections between things that once seemed wholly unrelated.  As the pieces begin to fall together, you start to understand.  Not completely, but you catch enough of a glimpse of this "fabric" Waite mentioned that you start concocting your own experiments.  Waite gives you plenty of room to play around, gradually reducing her instruction and giving you more and more time to learn on your own.  Most of the time, she's content to observe and gently guide you, rather than direct you.

Eight years fly by in the blink of an eye.  Waite occasionally opens a portal to view home.  Every time you do, you feel a stab of homesickness, but...  Sara's only just stopped calling into the water, and now she's sitting on a box on the dock.  She checks the time on her phone from time to time, and Waite uses that to track how long you've still got.  It's starting to run short.

In the last two years, Waite resumes giving you careful direction.  She starts teaching you how to apply the various ways you've learned to manipulate the world in practical ways.  Intonations, symbols...  You start producing stronger and more noticeable effects on the world around you.  As Waite said, all the moisture in the atmosphere makes forming ice much easier than normal.  It's still exhausting at first, but gradually becomes easier and easier.  Not as easy as you remember the phone... but...

---

Kira can now cast Bufu, Mabufu, Bufula, and Ice Dance even when they aren't equipped!  Casting without the spell equipped uses 10% more MP.
Kira's Ice Resistance became Strong.

---

Finally Waite looks into her portal and, from her expression, you can tell immediately that your time here is at an end.  She leads you through the now-familiar jungles of the island to a large cliff overlooking the ocean.  "We'll jump off here and head back home," she says.  You get ready to leap, but she grabs your shoulder.

"Before we go back, though...  Do you remember the first lesson I taught you?  About being careful what deals you accept?  While you don't have your phone, tell me...  How much do you trust those 'operators' of yours?  Bast and Vorvadoss?"

(A) Huh?  Why do you ask?
(B) Completely.  They've saved me countless times.
(C) I've never really thought about it...
(D) Now that you mention it, they're a bit suspicious, I suppose.

We really don't know them all that well now that I think about it.

You tell Waite you've never really thought about it.

"Well... maybe you should," Waite suggests.  "Alright, let's go.  Remember how I said the first time's the worst?"

You nod.

"Well... I lied," she says, dragging you over the precipice.  She's entirely right.  It hurts just as much as you remember.  You wake up laying on something...  It's too dark to see, but you can tell whatever you're laying on is laying on a beach.  It's... Waite, you assume?  A dome of sand collapses around you, letting the light of the night sky illuminate your surroundings.  Yep, you're lying on Waite lying on a beach.

She smiles up at you.  "Nice to be back in your body, huh?"

You quickly roll off her and get as far away as possible before you begin vomiting uncontrollably.

"Oh...  Yeah, the worst is the first time you go back to your old body.  Honest this time," Waite says.  She walks over and pats you on the back.  "Come on, deep breaths.  Hey, hey, really, remember you have to breath the old-fashioned way, you don't have gills anymore.  Alright, just lie down for a minute.  Try remembering how to move your muscles one at a time."

Everything feels wrong.  You try flexing your arm and it feels weird having so few degrees of freedom.  You practice moving your arm a few minutes, then try to stand.  Walking's even harder than you remember...  You fall flat on your face a few times.  And being able to smell again...  The air's so much lighter than you remember.  You feel dry.  So, so dry.

"Don't worry, it'll come back a lot faster than learning that new body.  We don't have too long, though, remember time flows... 'normally' here."

It takes a few minutes, but you start to feel like your old self.  You're still a bit disoriented, but at least you can move.  Oh...  You suddenly realize that Waite doesn't look like she aged a day.  You stagger over to a puddle of water and check your reflection - same.

Waite realizes what you're doing.  "We ditched our bodies here and used entirely different ones.  Don't worry, you only aged a few minutes.  Sara's still going to recognize you just fine.  Ready to get back to the docks?"

You nod.  Waite wraps an arm around your waist and leads you into the water.  A small portal opens and she guides you through.  You emerge under the water at the base of the docks.  You swim up and break the surface.

"Kira!"  Sara jumps up and excitedly runs over.  She bends down and helps you out of the water, then gives you a hug.  "Oh..." she pulls away and stoops down to offer Waite a hand.  Waite smiles and waves her off, then shoots out of the water and onto the docks.

Sara looks at her incredulously for a moment, then goes back to hugging you.  "Where'd you go?  What happened?  What-"

"We went to an alien planet more suited to learning ice magic.  Your girlfriend's a pretty quick learner," Waite says with a cheery smile.  "She picked things up rather quickly.  I'm impressed."

Sara steps back and looks at you intensely.  "Alien planet...?  What!?  You didn't..."

"Ye-e-e-ep," Waite says.  "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry."

"Oh.  Thanks for the concern," Sara says coldly.

"You're welcome," Waite says with feigned obliviousness.  "So, Kira, why don't you show her what you learned?"

"That's-" Sara begins.  You hold up your hand and concentrate.  It's harder here, and you're still not re-adjusted to your old body... but you can feel it coming.  With a sudden snap, a ball of ice materializes in the air between you and Sara and bursts.  "Wh...  Whoa!  You...  You really did it...!"

"Don't tell me you didn't believe in her?" Waite teases.

"I just didn't think she'd be able to learn something like that this fast...!" Sara says, her eyes still wide with surprise.

"Well, she has a great teacher," Waite says.  She stretches.  "But teacher's tired now, so I'm going to go rest.  I think you've got something to do, right...?  You'll have to handle this one on your own."

That's right!  You ask Sara what time it is.  She hands you your phone and you flick it on.  IT... looks like you've got just enough time...  Good.

"Um...  Right.  You mentioned something about that.  What exactly are you talking about?" Sara asks.

You explain that two people are in trouble, and that you need to hurry to the Guardian's Farm.

"Kira...  Mmph.  Why do you always have to throw yourself in harm's way...?  But, still..." Sara smiles softly and trails off.  "It's something I love about you..."

Waite places a hand on both your and Sara's backs and gives you a gentle shove.  "Run along or you're going to be late."  Waite turns and takes two steps, is about to step off the dock, then turns on her heel and walks back.  She drapes her arms across Sara's shoulders and taps her on the cheek.  "Oh, but don't forget...  You promised to let Kira experiment on you a bit.  Hmhmhm...  Feel free to try a little practicum before you come back for your next lesson."

"H-hey, I was... teasing her about that," Sara says.

"Oh, don't be shy.  No need to pretend you're not curious..." Waite says, still hanging on her.  "So, what element do you want to learn next?"

(A) Fire
(B) Electric
(C) Wind
(D) Curse
(E) Healing

(1) Head to the farm
(2) Nah, later (I doubt anyone will choose that, but as a formality...)

Yeah, having healing magic is always important. E1

You tell Waite you want to learn healing next.

Waite's smile fades, though she continues leaning on Sara.  "I figured you'd want to learn healing magic soon... knowing you.  Well, it's not beyond your magical talents, but it can be one of the more difficult magics to learn for... other reasons.  There's only one way to practice healing, after all.  So, are you sure you're ready...?"

(A) Fire
(B) Electric
(C) Wind
(D) Curse
(E) Healing

Oh. So she means that we're going to have to either have someone get hurt or be hurt ourselves to practice healing. Ouch. What do you think, Digi?

You tell Waite you still want to do it.

"You understand what it means, right?" Waite asks, hugging Sara.

You take a deep breath and nod.

Waite reaches up and thoughtfully strokes Sara's chin as if it were her own.  Sara looks surprised as Waite slides her hand up along her cheek to scratch the back of her head.  Sara, over her initial surprise, is biting her lip, trying not to laugh.  "Well, then...  If you're sure," Waite says.  "I'll trust in my brave, little apprentice."  She hesitates and gives Sara a sideways glance.  She seems unsure whether to continue in front of her, but quickly gets over it.  "By the way, I used quite a bit of my magic, so you're on your own while I rest for a bit."  She leans forward to look Sara in the eye.  "You'll watch over her for me, right?"

"O-of course!" Sara responds incredulously.  "I won't let anything happen to her as long as I'm around."

"Great!  I owe you one.  Until later, then..."  Waite grins, then gives Sara a peck on the cheek.  While Sara looks at her in stunned silence, Waite leans back and drops off the dock, vanishing into the crystal-clear water.

Sara seems pretty shocked.  She reaches up and touches her cheek.  "Well...  She's certainly... interesting."

(A) Yep.
(B) Cute, too.
(C) Are you jealous?
(D) I think she's just lonely...