MY DRUNK OTOME GAME — THE NIFLHEIM+ PALE GHOST 10

So after the last chapter I needed a little break, both from near-nightly drinking and to give myself distance from that kiss scene. But I’m back now, baby, with a bottle of Trader Joe’s prosecco and lowered standards. Let’s do this thing!

Picture it: Sicily Niflheim, a normal Tuesday. Our heroine is calmly making out with a dude that’s not her fiance in front of said fiance, who’s probably also making out with some chicks he’s not engaged to so it’s whatever. A giant world-devouring vortex lurks outside the castle gates, but it’s cool because Jean is passing that Courvoisier. Suddenly, OH NO! A CHANDELIER FALLS!

Sia foresaw this.

Nick throws himself on top of MC to protect her from the falling glass, and she hears him grunt in pain as he gets hit. Everyone in the ballroom is totally freaking out. Nick checks on MC, and MC notes his legs are pinned under the fallen chandelier. Ouch.

Skeletiano rolls in with some guards to save the day, and they join forces to lift the chandelier off of Nick. MC looks around and notes that many ball attendants appear to be injured. The king is surrounded by his harem and hasn’t checked on MC at all, because of course he hasn’t. MC and Nick join the crowd to evacuate, but MC trips on chandelier shards and slices open her leg. Sure, Nick’s legs had a chandelier fall on them and are fine, but MC can’t make it 3 steps without getting sliced open. Logical.

She doesn’t get to do anything about it, because just then the vortex smashes through the windows. SURPRISE.

MC tries to run, but the pain in her leg stops her. Nick notices her injury and promptly sweeps her up and gets out of dodge. Nick heads to the courtyard, toting MC, in the hopes of finding a spot peaceful enough to treat her leg. Once they get to the courtyard it is indeed empty, and Nick begins searching for medicinal herbs.

MC gets all shy about the wound because she’ll… have to show her ankle? Girl, in the premium version of chapter 8 you let him put you in a bellydancer outfit. I think he can deal with seeing your shins. Nick expertly uses the herbs he finds to treat her wound, and after a moment her pain has subsided enough for her to stand. MC tells him that they should run away from the vortex as fast as they can, and to her surprise he agrees instead of trying to sacrifice himself again.

Once they get into town, they see the vortex once again winding its way through the streets. MC wonders why the vortex is still after Nick, since he thought it was fueled by his jealousy. Nick says there must be something he’s forgetting, and for the first time insists he’d like to find a way to get rid of the vortex without getting swallowed up himself. We get the choice between saying “That might be difficult” or saying “A capital idea.” Despite calling something a capital idea being something I’d see Skeletiano doing rather than MC, I go with that. Who am I to poop on Nick when he’s finally determined to find a positive solution? Just as he takes MC’s hand to run, they both spot a small child in the way of the vortex.

After a brief argument about what to do, they decide that MC will go to the child while Nick diverts the vortex. He runs off to change the vortex’s path while MC comforts the kid, and then swings back around in time to grab the kid and GTFO.

MC runs along with him, but before she knows it she feels tendrils wrapping around her feet. She’s swiftly sucked into the darkness.

MC has had one fucking eventful day.

She comes to inside the void, seeing nothing and no one around her. She calls into the darkness to no avail. As she’s feeling around, she manages to find something solid floating in the air: a mirror. When she squints into it, she sees her friends fighting the vortex.

*snort* Look at Skeletiano fuming. I love that pile of bones.

King and co. are all slashing at the vortex, and while it’s working the vortex seems to regenerate constantly. Skeletiano wonders why objects from Niflheim work on it now, and Jean says that the vortex became physical in this world along with Nick. In any case, the group is getting exhausted fast. MC cries out, and suddenly she hears a voice in the void.

The voice explains, dispassionate, that Jean’s soul split in two and created Helheim. MC is understandably confused, and asks if Nick is king of this Helheim. “King?,” the voice responds. “Not quite… Nick IS Helheim.”

The voice explains that because of this, Nick’s heart and mind must remain completely empty. MC hears Nick give out a pained cry from behind the mirror, but the voice keeps talking. Nick’s mind should have stayed empty, it insists, and since she filled him with emotions it’s her fault that he’s suffering now. MC is calling BS on that, and screams back that Nick needs and desires warmth and love just like anyone else.

MC: “He needs me! And I need him!”

As she says this, the void is flooded with light and Nick breaks through the mirror. The first thing he does is… apologize for taking too long to save her. [2 sips] She immediately jumps into his arms and he comforts her and keeps apologizing. [2 sips]

WELL, YEAH.

MC says she’s just glad that he’s himself, which confuses him. They hug even more tightly.

That’s when Jean pipes up.

It’s probably a fever. Does your harem get tested for chlamydia regularly?

MC and Nick pull apart just as Skeletiano joins the audience.

LOOK AT THAT LIL’ SHIT. He is loving all this juice. He brought a fucking straw.

Orlando rolls up at that very moment to bring down my mood by being sarcastic about the situation. [2 sips] He and the king are rolling their eyes and being general Debbie Downers, while Skeletiano is–and I quote–“rejoicing.” My man. Orlando says they should get out as fast as possible, and we have the choice to thank Nick for his rescue or say “Wait…” I say thanks, because duh. Nick takes MC’s hand and promises he’ll never let her go again. They both head for the mirror, but the mysterious voice pipes up to tell them they’re not going anywhere.