Story Reader / Festival Event Story / Shape of Thunder / Story
Golden sunlight bathes the mountain peaks, illuminating each tile on the main hall's rooftop and revealing the temple's solemn, pristine aura in its warm glow.
The sky is perfectly clear now—so bright that it's almost impossible to believe there was a raging blizzard just yesterday.
The human's fatigue runs deeper than she imagined. Even in sleep, the commandant's brow remains furrowed—like such a long rest has been missed in a long time.
It might be better to break free entirely from these burdens, from the judging eyes of others, from every demand and responsibility...
She reaches out on instinct to pull the thin grass mat back over the human, but the instant she sees tiny sparks crackle around her left hand, she yanks it away. Her chest tightens unexpectedly.
A lone snowflake slips past the roof's defenses and floats inside, melting against her face and leaving a brief, shimmering trace.
Why is she even having these thoughts?
Is it because of that time when her M.I.N.D. synchronized with hers?
Joy, sorrow, yearning, and futility—do all of these feelings truly belong to her?
Completely unaware, [player name] stirs awake, guided only by the internal clock. Noticing her unmoved posture, [player name] exhales in relief.
She waits for just the right moment to open her eyes, locking eyes with the human who's been sneaking glances her way—and witnesses that sleepiness vanish in a hilariously startled expression.
She should let her witness this as well—turns out even the human she unconditionally trusts can act like this sometimes.
You sleep so defenselessly.
The human jolts awake and pats their own body from head to toe to make sure nothing is gone. Only then does the human sit up, looking rather sheepish.
Staying here any longer only feeds into weakness. Time to wake up.
...Let's go.
She tries to sound distant on purpose, but that human doesn't seem to notice and just follows right behind her.
So oblivious.
A faint restlessness gnaws at her. The moment she opens the main hall door, a barrage of hostile stares leaves her M.I.N.D. spinning.
She swallows that discomfort and steps inside. The blade at her side trembles uneasily in its sheath.
The enemy is coming. Are you ready for this?
[player name] nods, and a familiar surge of electrical signals floods her mind, pulsing in and out like breathing.
