Story Reader / Affection / Selena: Pianissimo / Story
Selena: Pianissimo VI
Then... goodbye, Conductor.
The show has ended, and the night has sunk deep. It's time for farewells.
The evening breeze grazes streets with scattered lights, past the dancing shadows of trees that rustle softly in response.
Beneath the artificial stars, Selena's skirt flutters in an elegant arc gently in the breeze, like a flower bud ready to bloom, or waves splashing against the shore.
Tonight's moonlight is hazy and dreamlike. It feels like a waste to end your time together like this.
But... this seems to be the usual plot in all the plays she's read.
Juliet loves Romeo deeply, but she remains calm and reserved. When it's time to part, she turns away with grace, quietly awaiting the dawn.
But what if she doesn't want to be calm and reserved anymore?
Selena is startled by this thought. Her heartbeat quickens.
She lowers her head to hide her embarrassment. She hides her reddening face behind her hair and turns around before speaking again.
Wait—
She freezes when she lifts her head.
She sees that the other person hasn't moved an inch.
Her beloved stands quietly at her doorstep even after saying goodbye, still gazing at her. Selena's mind goes completely blank.
Just one more thing, I truly am grateful that you followed my voice here...
She tries to ignore the flutter in her heart, yet her parched lips can only produce meaningless excuses.
Without you, I might've stayed lost in that half-empty shell of a memory, never seen again...
No, she didn't mean to say something so shallow, but that person had probably already guessed her true feelings.
...Conductor, could you stay a little longer?
Her racing heart makes her body act before reason takes over.
Selena gently tugs at the person's sleeve. She abandons the reserve that has bound her until now.
Just like how you stood close to me just now... I want to be close to you too.
Promise me, tomorrow, the day after, or in some distant future, you'll stay by my side, just like today.
We've already lost so much time... From now on, I want to hold onto every second with you.
Hm...
Selena lets out a soft sigh of relief, her heart growing calmer.
Her fingers brush past her hair as she removes the iris that has always been there.
I hope you'll take this... iris.
Under the glow of the street lamps, tiny specks of light reflect off the crown of the iris.
It's not much of a reward, but... I still want you to have it.
I hope... this can be my way of staying by your side.
...!
She trembles at the unexpected touch, but soon decides to respond to it.
Your hand moves through her silken hair, leaving the warmth of your touch upon her face.
...I know.
She carefully holds onto this warmth, burying her cheek into your hand.
No matter how far apart we are, I'll carry these words with me, always.
As long as I have your promise, I won't be lost in the dark again.
After repeated tests show that her frame is safe and her M.I.N.D. stable, Selena is finally allowed to join the Task Force for simple surface missions.
Selena softly sighs when her feet touch the soil once more.
She never thought she would set foot on this blue planet again.
Unspecified Surface Ruins
PM 23:22
Unspecified Surface Ruins 23:22 PM
Wild vines creep across crumbling walls soaked by Red Tide. This place has been deserted for so long, not even birds fly here anymore.
Crack—
Withered yellow grass snaps under heavy metal boots. The boots stop moving for a moment in front of this abandoned, dilapidated theater.
This is where it all began, isn't it?
The red-haired woman seems to sense something. She extends her fingers to touch the wind.
Then...
It should be ended here.
She weaves the currents of wind with a conductor's baton, playing a melody that belongs to time itself.
Surface Conservation Area
PM 23:30
Surface Conservation Area 23:30
After finishing work, Selena sits upright in her tent in the conservation area.
She dips her fountain pen in royal blue ink and ponders for a moment before writing the first line of her letter.
"Dear [player name]..."
Her thoughts are still forming and the silver pen tip pauses. Selena furrows her brow when she notices a shift in the wind's direction.
Time...
She hears the sound of "time" and "information" blurring together and jarring notes being played...
Babylonia Gray Raven Lounge
03:00 PM
Babylonia Gray Raven Lounge 03:00 PM
Having finished their tasks, the Gray Raven Commandant is sound asleep.
No one notices as the iris placed on the desk turns transparent before dissolving into specks of light and fading away.
And the entire world is also about to be nurtured and reborn in this darkness, reborn anew.
08:30 PM Line Spacing: 0 Days since the completion of "The New Earth Codex": ▁▅▃▃▅
08:30 PM Line Spacing: 1 Days since the completion of "The New Earth Codex": ▁▅▃▃▅
