Story Reader / Affection / Luna: / Story
Report... no physical... even... health... issues... in consciousness...
According to the Science Council... report... conciousness... intense activity... recommend...
At least... no threat to life...
My opinion... in line with... Asimov...
I will end all of this.
Now, fall!
This place has lost its value.
...
Cry not... if you're before my grave... For I'm still here...
A familiar floral scent wafts through the air. You hear a hum coming from somewhere nearby right when the world around your body starts swaying.
A brilliant white light floods into view, causing a momentary sting. The world around you is so blurry now that you're barely able to make out the colors on the ground—specks of white on something green...
The singing comes to a stop.
It's orchids.
As your vision slowly returns, you realize what you're seeing—pure white orchids blooming all over the place. On top of that, you find yourself resting in Luna's lap.
Do you remember our promise? We said we'd watch the orchids bloom together.
We did it, [player name].
The effects of this mysterious blackout still linger. The splitting headache you're experiencing now comes with fatigue that runs throughout your body. The aftereffects seem more severe than before and, despite your best efforts, you seem unable to even sit up.
Stay as you are. You have my permission to rest.
Gentle sunlight warms your body as Luna strokes your head, easing the headache from the fluctuations in consciousness.
The breeze whispers through rustling leaves. The two of you sit quietly in the courtyard, lost in a comfortable silence.
After a long while, having recovered, you get back on your feet.
I didn't know that shy was part of your personality.
Luna lets out a crisp laugh, seeing right through your obvious attempt to change the subject.
Took me a while to grow this many.
Yes. My sister and I rebuilt it brick by brick.
We studied a lot about architecture. We learned as we went about building it.
We ran into all sorts of issues when we first started, and there came a point when I thought we just couldn't do it.
There are things from my childhood that I can't quite remember anymore, and that makes it impossible for me to rebuild things here and there.
But someone once told me that I should just try creating new memories if I can't make things the way I remember them.
Luna turns her head slightly to look at you as she speaks.
Luna narrows her eyes a little, tilts her head back, and begins to hum a tune you're familiar with.
Cry not if you're before my grave...
For I'm still here.
The breeze I shall become...
While the melody and lyrics are simple, Luna's voice lends both an extraordinary beauty.
I found this poem in some ruins. The poet apparently was just an ordinary woman.
Mm.
...
The impromptu music lesson comes to an end before long.
You learn fast. Took me several days to learn the song back then.
Luna says nothing, but you can tell that she's quite pleased with the compliment judging from the barely noticeable smile on her face.
Luna taps your forehead before you even finish talking.
Don't get carried away.
I've built a greenhouse next to the yard. Want to have a look?
Staring at the greenhouse now, you realize that it's a lot bigger than you thought.
Mom loved growing flowers when I was little, and she'd give me and my sister gardening lessons every now and then.
My sister was amazing at it. She picked it up really fast and grew the most beautiful flowers ever.
I started growing cacti and succulents instead because I could never keep flowers alive.
Instead of floating in the air like she always does, Luna walks ahead with light steps as she starts telling of her past in a calm manner.
Mom used to grow snow orchids, too, which is probably why I was able to spot it back then.
We gathered all the books about flowers we could find when we decided to build the greenhouse.
She points to a row of bookshelves along the wall.
You can always find surprising things in the ruins.
I've found poems praising the Golden Age, blueprints for skyscrapers, neat writings on blackboards, and exquisite luxury goods.
But they all share the same fate—buried beneath the ruins.
You won't find a Leibowitz Abbey in our reality.
Let's drop this already.
Look at this. It's a hyacinth. It's easy to grow and smells very nice.
Luna walks over to the rows of colorful flowers.
Among all these colors, the yellow hyacinths are still my favorite.
And then there's this one, the forget-me-not.
I planted lots of woodland forget-me-nots in the lawn behind the courtyard. They're beautiful when they bloom.
And over there, that one...
Luna weaves through the greenhouse, occasionally trimming leaves and watering flowers, her voice light and cheerful. Gone is any trace of her usual mysterious and powerful demeanor.
In this moment, Luna, more than when she does anything else, seems like an ordinary girl.
And here's another one. I don't know its name yet—I found it on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
I wonder if this might be an entirely new species. Perhaps I should give it a name myself.
And here's mistletoe. Legend has it that its branches killed Balder, the God of Light.
It was only through the tears of the goddess Frigga that the mistletoe's deadly poison was neutralized, bringing her son Balder back to life.
It's known as the "Golden Bough of Life" in some places.
Luna takes a few steps forward, positions herself under the mistletoe, then turns around and extends her hand.
Come here.
She stands silently in the greenhouse as afternoon sunlight streams through the arched windows, embracing her and lingering among the flowers. Her red eyes shimmer like jewels in the light. For a moment, you seem unable to tell whether you're looking at Luna or the flowers.
Luna waits quietly for you to join her. You, on the other hand, grow hesitant.
In the shifting light, the crimson in the young girl's eyes seems to dim slightly.
...
You caught me.
You're now sitting quietly in Luna's bedroom. When you raised that question in the greenhouse, Luna asked you to wait in her bedroom, promising she would return with an answer.
A moment later, the door opens.
Instead of the crimson single-winged frame she's usually seen in nowadays, Luna walks in dressed entirely in white—something you never saw coming.
You seem surprised. A transformation of this level is well within my current capabilities.
I think you might be more familiar with this form.
