- C███████: So, they say that a terrible war has broken out in the midworld,
- C███████: One much worse than the last our seniors have seen.
- C███████: But... really, how bad could it be?
- C███████: Those wingless lot have stayed docile for an entire decade.
- C███████: Don't you think their claws and blades have waned plenty by now?
- D████: ...Still, this is a direct order from our revered captain.
- D████: You must take it seriously, C███████.
- C███████: Right, right, I know...
- C███████: I'm just saying, D████, that I'm not scared.
- C███████: But you seem to be. How come?
~~/~~>.
- D████: Battle is different down there, far from the heavens' embrace.
- D████: Anyone who is lost will most certainly leave behind a body.
- C███████: ...Right. Humans and monsters bury their dead,
- C███████: And those bodies go through a process of decomposition in the soil.
- C███████: So they still disappear, just like we do... only a tad slower, yes?
- C███████: I don't think that's a cause for worry.
D?: Explain your concerns.
- D████: That's not it...
- D████: I've already come to terms with facing death, by now.
- D████: It would be my honor to give my life as a proud Valkyrie in the name of furthering our mission, to uphold fairness in war...
- D████: So long as I stay true to my purpose,
- D████: I am sure that I would be able to rest without regret.
- D████: But... C███████, I heard that...
- D████: When the casualties of the midworld's wars are overwhelming in number,
- D████: Sometimes, they are buried in a mass grave.
- C███████: A what now...?
- D████: That is...
~~/~~>
- D████: A hole in the ground, large enough to hold thousands,
- D████: And deep enough to reach the underworld.
- D████: Bodies upon bodies are dumped into it.
- D████: Because... there is nowhere else for them to go.
- D████: And, because they are mere pieces, too.
- D████: Unidentifiable fragments collected from the bodies of the nameless,
- D████: Whom nobody mourns.
What was you name again?
Oh, even that little memory escapes me now.
Although I thought your worries weren't entirely unfounded at the time, I still felt that they sounded a little too exaggerated than the matter warranted.
C?: Wake up.
It was so much worse than you had ever imagined, █u█y█.
"It must be frightening," you said?
It really, truly is.
~~/~~>
In this dark place, D█n█a...
No one can hear you scream, not even yourself, because every cry for help is drowned by countless others.
Instead, you find yourself uselessly reaching out towards a light that no one can grasp, while it simply blinds you, distracting you from the blood and tears engulfing every soul.
It's a place where you can never rest your eyes.
But, you are still condemned to sleep in it forever.
A nameless grave, where no one remembers who they are anymore...?
I could not think of a worse fate than this.
C?: Cry for help.
- C?: No, I... I... I want to live!
- C?: If not, then at the very least...
- C?: I want to be remembered, please, please, PLEASE!
- C?: Otherwise...
- C?: What was the point of my sacrifice in the army!?
- C?: What about my services to the throne, to the overworld...?
- C?: What did my entire life even amount to!?
- C?: If none of it was going to matter in the end,
- C?: Then, I wish I had never given anything to anyone in the first place!
I reached out towards that light, and cried like I never have before, while revealing my deepest fears and regrets to the world.
I thought that if I bare my heart to it, then it would listen.
~~/~~>
It suddenly clicked that my life would never return to me ever again, and I would never be able to change what had transpired...
For I have now 'ended', just like everyone around me.
Oh, █████, if only I had the same conviction in my purpose that you did, then perhaps my regrets would not have been heavy enough to anchor me in this hell.
C?: Shun the light.
We were all different people, some who certainly left better lives than others, yet the light equally ignored all of us. Our pleas only dissolved us faster, depriving us of what little that was left.
That meant it would have erased me with my lingering regrets.
I feared the light, for I did not want to forget myself. Even my shame, fear, and hate were now precious to me, █████. I wanted to protect what little traces were left of 'myself' with all my might. So I sank away into the depths...
To make sure that burning salvation could never reach me.
Spirit?: Wake up.
- ???: It's okay.
- ???: Even if you don't remember who you were,
- ???: You can create a new name for yourself now.
- ???: Those deteriorated ones have come to depend on you a lot, no?
- ???: I think it's wonderful!
- ???: You should feel happier with yourself.
- Spirit?: ...It is only natural, being the way I am now.
- Spirit?: Not just anyone can manage to recover as well as I did.
- ???: Ah, pride isn't what I'm referring to.
- ???: You should be happy,
- ???: Because this means that you've have already become something again.
--/-->
- ???: If you continue the way you are,
- ???: I am sure that eventually, you will be able to get rid of your regrets.
- ???: I am also... here to help you do that before you run out of time.
- Spirit?: ...
- ???: Follow me, and I will give you purpose.
- ???: Soon, I'll be gone, but she'll be here.
- ???: She will certainly be delighted to have you as a companion!
- ???: And if we all do exactly as she says,
- ???: We will all find the fulfillment we need!
--/-->
- ???: So please, do your very best now.
- ???: Me and the others, we'll definitely remember you as you are now.
Now that you've finally found a new purpose, you can't just lose it here!
Here is an image of C?'s design. :]
I included the sketch of her beta design stage too, because it includes her very special unicorn friend named Rosette, who I wasn't able to show in this update.
The Valkyries usually ride pegasuses (winged horses) to get around, but a division of them assigned to strictly surveying ground-level use unicorns (wingless) instead. None of them ever use regular horses though 'cause that's way too human and stuff, y'know? A winged's gotta be more special than that. > v >
It's not very important overall, but I thought you guys might enjoy a little bit of behind-the-scenes worldbuilding and design tidbits.
This "Kotori" seems to consider herself a different person from who is presumably the present Kotori. She even seems to be grouping herself together with the spirits, saying "if we all do exactly as she says."
I personally interpret the Time-Travel theory as Kotori rewinding everything, including herself, so she could be saying here that, by resetting everything, she will be replaced by a new version of herself.This would align with what's happening with the multiple Ninos as well.
If the spirits remember, as has been implied, it could explain Kotori's "hunches" as being the limited information the spirits have been able to give her, with the more important information, such as the identity of the assassin, being unavailable as it would require the spirits to go out in public or put themselves in danger.
Also, as a side note, the link on the previous page doesn't seem to be working.
It has now been fixed! Apologies.
You think that's why the "???: Soon, I'll be gone, but "she'll" be here." part has Kotori's readiness instead of someone else's color?
Man I love Oceanfalls, really fun to read
Always glad to hear that. :]
fax
read through the entirety of oceanfalls in about a week, wow this is an interesting story! also all the way the background reflects to change the story, especially on the previous page, is really creative!
Welcome on board! I hope you find the future updates enjoyable, too. :D
Наконец-то я смог прочитать эти страницы. То там то сям и в итоге не читал где-то месяц :(.