Story Reader / Festival Event Story / To the One and Only You / Story
Pushing up from the heavy sand, you awaken—only to awaken again, peeling back layer upon layer of dream until you breach the final boundary between sleep and reality.
The cool shock of seawater washing over your ankles jolts you fully awake. This is an island. As your thoughts steady, still hazy from the successive awakenings, a single question forms: How did you get here?
Back in your dormitory at Babylonia.
From the collection of eight uniquely styled boxes, you chose the one shaped like a purple, polyhedral die.
Bingo! As expected of you, Honorable Commandant. I figured a person of your taste deserved something off the beaten path. A little more... "unique."
The dangerous Ascendant never appeared in person. Her bewitching words and the intoxicating fragrance released from that small box were enough to ensnare you, dragging you from the eve of your birthday celebration into a labyrinth of enchanted dreams.
Now, with clarity returning, you repeatedly confirm your surroundings—a desolate, uninhabited island.
My, my. And here I thought you would enjoy your beauty sleep a little longer, Honorable Commandant. So, what's the verdict? Do you like my gift? I do hope you appreciate the... "exclusivity" of this island getaway.
And there, standing on the shore not far away, is the Ascendant herself. She is undoubtedly the architect of this predicament.
A deserted island with no signal, completely cut off from the world.
No signal. As you stare at the unresponsive device, the reality of your situation finally sinks in: you are completely cut off from human civilization.
Can't get through? I've jammed all signals in this area. This truly is an island completely cut off from the world.
You cut me deep, Commandant... Must there always be a game? Can't I simply want to give you a birthday you'll never forget?
Well, yes... Do you find the surprise pleasant? I can say with absolute certainty that no one else will ever give you a gift as grand as this.
Alas... I never thought you'd feel this way... It seems you're not particularly pleased with this gift.
The Ascendant turns away, feigning dejection. For a moment, it seems your intense displeasure has caught the mischievous girl off guard, sending her into a brief, pensive silence.
Seizing the opportunity, your hand—the one of the "prisoner" still granted liberty—moves quietly to the handgun at your waist, the single weapon she failed to confiscate. An improvised rebellion is set into motion.
You launch yourself forward, intending to restrain her and press the gun to her head. But your plan collapses in an instant. At the moment of contact, you lunge straight through her form—a mere holographic projection—and tumble helplessly onto the mudflats beyond.
Oh my... you are sharp. What can I say? My real self is a little preoccupied, orchestrating an even grander surprise for you. A woman can only be in so many places at once.
You're not too cross with me, are you, Honorable Commandant? It wounds me, your hostility... especially when my devotion to you is the one real thing in all this.
Go back? But that's the final reward. Commandant, we haven't even completed the introductory missions yet.
The desert island survival arc, of course. Complete an objective, earn a reward. Perfectly logical game design, wouldn't you agree?
I never took you for someone who shirks their duties. But if you'd rather... we could always renegotiate the terms of your stay. An indefinite extension. And as payment, I'd be your very own "Mephistopheles".
You know the Ascendant isn't one to disrespect the rules, least of all those she crafted herself. After a moment's thought, you decide to ask.
Start a fire. Your reward will be... one single bar of signal, restored to your terminal.
For a distinguished F.O.S. graduate, igniting a fire in the wilderness is a fundamental skill. You gather the available resources and swiftly kindle the first flames on the deserted island.
We should mark the occasion. The first human-made fire in this island's history.
So impatient. Can't we savor a milestone?
...Very well. You haven't eaten anything yet, so you must be hungry. Here's your second mission: provide yourself with a meal. A freshly caught fish should do nicely. Simple enough, isn't it?
Bang! With a single, sharp report, you add a new entry to the island's history. Bending down, you retrieve the very first fish ever to be shot here.
After spearing it with your tactical knife and a few quick preparations, the catch is transformed into a simple, smoky grilled fish.
As expected, you made it look effortless. Shall we proceed to the next mission?
The third mission...
The fourth mission...
As the Ascendant predicted, the survival missions on this deserted island have posed no real challenge to the Gray Raven Commandant. You completed each task with practiced ease, your efficiency turning her game into a simple routine.
The final requirement is a resting place at the island's highest point. You build it there, on the cliff's edge, and it resembles a platform overlooking the horizon, a perfect stage from which to watch the sea dissolve into the sky.
It's almost time... Your next mission awaits, Commandant.
As the day wanes toward dusk, the golden light of the setting sun pierces the clouds, bathing the small island in a soft glow. Beams of light, made visible by the Tyndall effect, cut through the air and illuminate the cliff where you now stand.
Your work finished, you sit in the rest area you built, quietly taking in the rare and magnificent view.
And what makes you think I'd deny you a moment of peace, Honorable Commandant? I'm not some petty demon who collects souls over a little request.
...Though I must admit, I am desperately curious what yours might look like.
But rest assured, your final mission is simply this... Enjoy the view. Drink it all in.
The Ascendant takes a seat beside you. Here, at the edge of the world, the two of you—supposed opponents—set aside your games and suspicions before the wondrous view. Together, you watch in silence as the golden twilight washes over the horizon.
The sun, after its journey across the sky, slowly sinks into the sea. A gentle breeze merges the blue of the calm waters with the sky, and a deep, tranquil azure gradually bleeds across the world's edge as the prelude to nightfall.
All too quickly, the brief, dreamlike blue hour fades. On this uninhabited island, night arrives with a swifter finality than elsewhere.
The Ascendant's projection rises, seeming ready to dissolve into the profound blue of the approaching night.
Offering you a taste... of your real birthday gift.
As the last word fades, the Ascendant's projection fractures, its shimmering pieces drifting upward. Then, a purple light casts an otherworldly sheen upon the darkness.
Within that light, a story is woven into the night: an underwater volcano at the world's heart erupts. Magma surges up from the seabed, defying the deep to thrust a new island above the waves. And in the tens of thousands of years that follow...
Sunrise and sunset trade places in a silent dance. The land itself shifts and changes; new species find their way to its shores... But one constant remains—this lone island has perpetually drifted, untouched, outside the realm of human civilization.
Until... you. A single human, on your birthday, arrives, marking the end of the projection.
Well? Do you like it? I poured my heart into this little light show. If my Honorable Island Master isn't pleased, I might just weep.
This place is special. You can't find it without the coordinates, which are now safely tucked away in your terminal. So, it's yours. The sole master of your own deserted isle. You could even name it after yourself.
Consider it our very own... edge of the world.
You see? I told you no one else would ever give you a gift as grand as this.
You stand at the cliff's edge. Below, the bright moon glimmers on the dark sea, while a cool, damp breeze washes over you. From behind, the sharp, deliberate click of high heels cuts through the night, drawing steadily nearer...
Indeed. The clock is about to strike twelve, and Cinderella must return to her humble abode...
Take one last look, Honorable Island Master. I do hope you'll remember all of this... the next time we meet.
A hologram can't touch you. This was your assumption, shattered the moment the Ascendant's projection plants a solid, unexpected shove right in the center of your back, sending you stumbling from the cliff's edge.
Happy birthday, my dear Island Master.
Somehow, she had swapped with her phantom. Now she stands safely on the precipice you just occupied, a look of pure amusement on her face as she watches you fall.
Sweet dreams, Honorable Commandant.
Gray Raven Commandant's Lounge
Gray Raven Commandant's lounge.
On the lounge's display screen, the birth and evolution of Gray Raven's island unfold over millennia. Meanwhile, you lie sunken deep into the couch, your steady breathing a testament to peaceful dreams.
Happy birthday, my dear Island Master.
The Ascendant's mesmerizing wish echoes in your ears, a final whisper from the moment before you were pushed from the cliff.
On screen, the Island Master plunges into the sea, and the video's progress bar finally reaches its end.
Through layers of dissolving dreams, you fall from that startling dreamscape and land in the stable comfort of the real-world couch...
A dangerously intoxicating fragrance still permeates the air. As your eyes focus on the flickering candles atop the cake, its surface glistening with purple jam, a single, dizzying question arises: Are you still in a dream?
