Story Reader / Festival Event Story / Solitary Longings / Story
Two carriages travel through the curtain of rain toward the city, one behind the other, keeping their passengers apart.
Lamia sits in the leading carriage, having yet to come back to her senses.
Sensing Lamia's emotions, the priestess sits beside her and speaks ever so tenderly.
Lamia, do you remember when you first rode in this carriage?
Yes... when I was still very young...
That's right, and you weren't alone in the carriage back then.
The streets were packed with life, crowds pressing shoulder to shoulder along either side of the road, watching as the Temple's ritual procession slowly made its way down the central path.
Inside the carriage, the priestess sat before a group of young girls, her face grave.
The next ritual officiant will be chosen from among you, and I expect you to treat this matter with utmost seriousness. This selection is not child's play—it is a matter of grave importance that concerns the safety of this city.
The girls exchanged uncertain glances, their eyes showing confusion and unease. Noticing this, the priestess softened her approach and spoke in a gentle and encouraging tone instead.
Of course... I'm not asking you to be at the ready now. We still have some time before reaching the Temple. Why don't you share your wishes? If one of you is chosen to officiate the ritual, what would you wish for? Anything at all.
I... I want pretty clothes and dresses!
Can I have everyone crowd around me like they did today?!
I want everyone to do what I say...
As the girls eagerly voiced their wishes all at once, the carriage grew increasingly noisy until the priestess made a gentle gesture for silence and turned with a slight smile to address someone sitting in the furthest corner.
And you, dear child? You don't need to raise your hand to speak here.
Am I going to get something to eat... if I get chosen?
...Something to eat?
S-sorry... Is that too much to ask? I mean... I'd be perfectly happy with just a little food.
No... not at all, my child. If anything, your request is far too modest.
Food... If you were chosen, the Temple would provide you with the most delicious cake you can imagine day and night, even if that's what you wish for.
I... I don't want cake. I just want food, anything at all. The coastal storms and rain were terrifying, and the village harvest was terrible... Everyone is going hungry...
And because of this, a lot of elderly people got away from home to leave their family with food... I... I just can't take it anymore.
...Come here... my child.
The priestess embraces Lamia and gently smoothes her rain-dampened hair with a look of tender compassion.
So you want nothing more than just food for the villagers and to quell the storm. What modest wishes. You climbed onto the Temple's carriage without a second thought, not knowing what fate awaits you.
Lamia closes her eyes wearily as the voices from her memories grow clearer—ones filled with childlike wonder and innocent admiration.
What became of those voices? Ah, that's right—they've all returned to where they came from. And now, when she does hear them, all that remains is resentment and fear.
Truth is like a dream—it's always been there, except you never realize it's there. But if you just take a good look at it, the mist will part and the veil will lift.
You have been through a lot to get to where you are today... You did well.
...It's been... way too long...
Instinctively, Lamia curls up in the priestess' arms.
Yes, it's been ever so long... You truly care deeply for that village, don't you?
Of course... this place... is my home...
Fragments of memories surface once more, from the first sound of waves lapping at the fishing village's shore to the moment Lamia opened her eyes.
Having lived here for so long, Lamia has grown accustomed to her place in this community.
Like any other fisher, Lamia would sail out to sea and bring her catch to sell at the market.
She would find joy in clear skies and worry about storms.
Like everyone else by the sea, she would fall asleep to the rhythm of the tides, and wake to the symphony of ocean winds and seabird calls.
Without a doubt, this is where Lamia belonged—her heart bound to these shores and seas.
Which is why you need to protect it...
Without the ritual, the Sea God's wrath will flood the land with waters and horrors. When that happens...
The priestess places her hand on Lamia's shoulder.
Your home would be lost—is that what you want to see?
No... I don't want that...
The priestess' voice flows like a gentle whisper, soft and melodious.
I'm sure no one does... But understand that the ritual is not a slaughterhouse—it is a bridge to happiness for mortals, a gateway to serve at Their side.
Finish this, and eternal bliss shall be yours.
Is... is that... really so...
Lamia feels drowsy. Even with the bone-chilling rain pounding just beyond the carriage's thin walls, she feels awash in sunlight.
A rare sense of peace washes over Lamia's features as her eyes drift half-closed in tranquil contentment.
A swimming fish naturally yearns more for the radiant daylight than the depths of the night.
Raindrops pierce through the branches, drowning out the fragrance of flowers and grass. Under the curtain of night, the ritual pool takes on an eerily sinister appearance.
The two arrive at the venue with the priestess and guards, gazing at each other from across the distance.
The person before her meets Lamia's gaze with unwavering calm, not a trace of fear on their face. In stark contrast, Lamia's hands clutch the small ritual dagger with white-knuckled tension, her steps uncertain and restless.
Lamia's breathing grows heavier, her hands trembling around the ritual dagger. Without herself even knowing it, she sticks her tongue out to wet her dry lips.
Enough, silence! You talk too much. Do it now, Lamia!
Still soft-spoken toward Lamia a few moments ago, the human coldly shuts down the Priestess' urgings.
Lamia wavers in uncertainty, repeatedly swallowing as she struggles with her choice. Following what the human said, a heavy silence blankets the ritual grounds.
BOOM—!
A thunderbolt tears through the sky and blinds Lamia temporarily. In that instant, she sees the village that sits well beyond the distance, under threat from the rain as it grows more intense.
No...
Lamia bites through her lip, blood mixing with rain on her tongue. Steeling herself at last, she charges forward with reckless abandon. Then... her eyes meet those of the human.
The human's eyes show no shock, no anger, no fear, nor even a trace of panic—only the faintest glimmer of disappointment.
I...
Lamia feels her heart tighten as that glimpse of disappointment pierces her, her nerves stretched taut like never before. At that moment, she sees something else lurking beneath the disappointment in those eyes as confusion begins to take hold.
—What am I doing? Why... am I raising my blade... how could I... raise my blade against this person...
The jarring sense of wrongness freezes Lamia's thoughts, making her hesitate for just a moment. In that instant, the human makes their move.
The timing is so perfect that neither the priestess nor the guards can react in time.
Splash—
Water splashes violently, its ripples quickly lost in the falling rain. In a single fierce motion, the human tackles Lamia, sending them both crashing into the pool.
Though shallow, the pool has become a bottomless abyss in this moment, as they descend into what seems like an endless fall.
Mmh...
The warm waters embrace Lamia, soothing her troubled thoughts until her mind briefly finds clarity.
As reality crashes in, Lamia begins to struggle instinctively.
The arm around Lamia's waist tightens as another hand reaches up and firmly grasps her hand that's been holding the ritual dagger. With it, Lamia slows down, and she finds herself looking at the human face to face in an embrace beneath the water.
Their faces draw close enough for their noses to nearly touch. As their eyes meet, the human's features swim into Lamia's vision, and she freezes, her struggles gradually ceasing.
[player name]
Whether it was a whisper or a call, even Lamia herself can't be sure. Her grip loosens, and the ritual dagger slips from her palm, only to be caught by the human.
But Lamia pays no attention to the blade. Her freed hand finds its way to the human's cheek, as if drawn there by instinct.
[player name]...
Lamia's eyelashes quiver as her gaze grows distant and dreamy.
Countless fragments of memory burst forth unbidden and swirl through Lamia's mind like scattered leaves in the wind.
You still owe me two questions.
Uh... Hurry up, then!
Why did you save me?
I saved you because...
What is it that you came here for knowing that you might not be able to leave?
...I came... to...
I came to fulfill my wish, in the most perfect way possible.
...Are the people here part of this wish that you're talking about?
Yes.
So please take "her" with you.
Lamia's lips quiver as the haziness in her eyes gives way to pain, yet she refuses to lower her hand even for a moment.
What have I... what have I... done...
Though her thoughts remain in chaos, an unspeakable guilt threatens to devour her whole.
And so, at the moment those lips form the words...
Before the words are even articulated, Lamia nods without a moment's hesitation.
