The 28th Stop [ Yandere x Reader ]

WARNING + RECAP 01

WARNING

From this point onwards, the story will include increasing violence, gore (nothing heavy-handed), and darker themes (e.g. trauma, torture, mental illness, depictions of black magic and cult activity, etc) such that if I keep putting individual warnings for these in particular, it would eventually end up being for a great deal of chapters. However, for topics such as self-harm and suicide, I will continue to put individual warnings as I know these can be especially sensitive.

If you are uncomfortable with the above topics, please feel free to stop reading (if you do, thank you for reading till this point!). I have put a warning in the first chapter as well.

It's been a long time coming, but I plan and write as I go and did not have most things figured out in the plot when I first began writing as I do now. I have thought about whether I could avoid these as much as possible or refrain from them completely, but it is difficult with this cast of characters and I do not feel I can do the story and characters justice if I continue to restrict myself so much.

Below will be a recap of the story so far, in light of the (almost 3 year?!) gap in updates to hopefully be a reminder as to what's happened in the story so far (and to save you from having to reread the story if you cannot afford to do so ^^). 

I will publish Chapter 29 (Part 1) in about a week so stay tuned! :)

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THE STORY SO FAR...

Shrouded in mystery, The 28th Stop is the place where one can fulfil their dreams, or so they say. Anyone burdened with negativity can visit this town via a train that runs late at night and return as a completely changed person, or never return at all. But of those who have returned, no one can remember their exact experiences - they are left only with warm, nostalgic feelings regarding the town and a yearning to go back.

This profound effect on the human psyche has piqued the interest of numerous reporters and their associated companies, leading to the origin of a mission worth twenty times one's yearly salary: investigate the town and write an article on your findings. However, every single reporter who has travelled to the town so far either went missing or died.

At 23 years of age, you are a reporter who chose this suicide mission for the exorbitant monetary reward - not for yourself but for the sake of helping to end your older brother's (Cyril) bankruptcy. He always stood by your side through thick and thin, from the abandonment of your parents and experiencing homelessness as a child, to the everyday adversities of growing up. It would not be entirely incorrect if you said he practically raised you. The beret you wear, the same one he bought you all those years ago, is your reminder to never lose sight of the end goal.

Embarking on your journey, you arrive at a town that seemingly radiates vibrancy and warmth. Composed of dynamic landscapes and architecture, strewn with cobbled streets and horse carriages, it is as if you have been transported to another time, the air palpable with magic and romance. But the illusion starts to crack. You witness the townspeople's prejudice against anyone who visits the town, whom they call "outsiders" in contempt or mockery. You hear rumours of strange phenomena outside of the realm of nature. The presence of a dark secret begins to make itself known, emerging from the shadows of the past. The resplendent mask unfurls at the seams.

Throughout your journey, you also meet various people - notably three young men.

Gael, who you first see on the train. Charming and elegant, mysterious and a little knavish, he is later found to be the son of the town's mayor - a greedy, snivelling man who spearheaded the law for a dismal end for any and all reporters. So it spelt disaster for you when Gael somehow discovers your status as an undercover reporter. However, it appears he has no intention of exposing you. Rather, ever since the moment you returned to him that gold coin on the train, there seems to be something he wants from you and you alone. Against his father's authority, he invites you and Asher to the Yearly Arthurian Party, proposing that you would be a representative of the visitors/outsiders to meet other invitees and help chip away at the stigma against the group. This eventually leads to a date meeting, which leads to revelations vital to your investigation...divulged to you so easily from the last person you could expect to lend such information. What are his motives? Is he trustworthy? What truth lay hidden beneath his handsome words and those brilliant blue eyes?