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Persona :: New Arcana
Welcome to Persona :: New Arcana! A Persona RPG site!
Welcome to New Arcana!
Welcome, Welcome! You've probably guessed by now, but this is a text-based Persona RPG site for Atlus fans, by Atlus fans. If you're new to Shin Megami Tensei, this place can still be for you, so no need to dash towards the doors! Your first stop should be the introduction board so we can introduce ourselves. Then right after that, feel free to go through our vital information to get a good feel of the site. We hope you enjoy your stay, and if you have any questions don't hesitate to post them here. Ciao!
Shin Megami Tensei and Persona belong to ATLUS. We own nothing, and have simply used their data to create a world of our own. They are the true geniuses behind the scenes.
For the sake of time and not re-iterating the same post 12 times. Everyone can post their stories simply in this thread, when you are all done places will be announced.
Thread ends on Saturday.
A familiar duo not native to Endymion sat around in Vista square. It was a sunny afternoon, and not much was happening around them besides other people going about their business. A young pale skinned girl with blue hair who seemed bored, and appeared to be pestering her brother for something. Onii-San Onii-San! Tell me a story please!The young girl would say as she shook her brothers arm. Clearly wanting to hear something entertaining. For anyone trying to spot them, it would be rather easy to make out the red and blue haired duo out of most of the people in Endymion minding their own business.
Last edited by BreakFree! on Fri Apr 14, 2017 4:39 pm; edited 1 time in total
Penny
Posts : 2836 Join date : 2014-09-16 Age : 25 Location : Inside
//"Do you know the story of how a world utterly devoid of passion was formed? The story of two girls and a great evil threatening the islands they lived in... and the ultimate sacrifice humanity pays to save itself."// Shiina began, as she opened the story book with an elegant swipe...
A Heart's Flame
There once lived two girls in these islands; close as sisters, yet not tied by blood; loved each other like husband and wife, yet no ring sealed their bond. It was immeasurable, like no other love you could possibly imagine, a desire to protect one another that made them capable of facing the greatest challenges together. The two fought against many an evil side by side. One used flames, the other controlled the winds. One with hair like the shining sun, and the other bearing the forest's richest green, their story begins in their home, forced to undergo a sick game that pits people against each other for reasons they don't fully understand. Beings from a higher plane fought each other with humans beneath them to attain the power to change the world. Many fell to this conflict, their bodies still honored to this day in these islands that housed such deep sadness and anger... but these two girls, they refused to submit to the game.
Together, they fought the higher beings and their followers, gaining allies along the way as they went. One, a tall man with dark skin; he held control over the cold, and formed a deep friendship with the girl that held her flame in her heart. Another, an eccentric fellow, forger of his own path but with a deeply unfashionable sense of style. He and the girls became comrades-in-arms, even if their views weren't completely aligned for a time... for you see, this girl whose heart was ablaze was a rowdy person, one whose temper couldn't be calmed by the rationality of arguments, only by the soothing words of her lifelong companion. She was determined, and pushed against the odds to achieve her own rebellion against the matriarch that in her mind so selfishly imposed this challenge upon their unwitting community. She fought so hard that one day, she was unable to contain herself, and with the dark-skinned man's aid, ended up striking down one of the higher beings by accident. She never wished to take a life, she never wished to cause harm upon them, but nonetheless by her flames the Being by the name of Taru. Terrified, she ran from her mistake, she ran to forget the sorrow, ran back to her lover's arms to confess and atone...
...but this served only as fuel for her rebellion. She blamed her mistake on the matriarch, reasoning that her child would not need undergo such suffering were it not for this unreasonable trial she had so greedily demanded of them. The girl whose flame lit her life screamed out to the skies in anger, shouted at the top of her lungs for an answer as cold tears streamed down her face. She never did get her answer that night, and so sought shelter with the girl who let the winds of life teach her the right path. The blazing girl continued her heretical crusade, challenging the beings' representatives... but eventually, her path was impeded by one who claimed he was one of the original gods. While she and her companion fought bravely, this god, a blood-soaked man with a mane of fire, was simply too much for them to defeat outright. And so, they escaped, unable to keep the full extent of their confidence when faced with such an opponent. Desiring power, the girl whose flame seared the path ahead braved her inner self, attaining the light that would illuminate her rebellion against these powers above, the flames that would grant her the strength to rise from the ashes of her defeat. And so she fought, she fought valiantly with all her heart and all her friends, eventually even putting a final end to the blood-soaked man with her flames. The path ahead was one of revolution, one where she would need put an end to the matriarch if she ever wished to be free of this sick and twisted game...
Unfortunately, the girl whose winds had led her to a better choice in life, the girl who had served as her lifelong companion, could not accept this new goal of hers. Disturbed by the blazing girl's mentality and killing intent, she abandoned her in fear of what she would do to this world, and so sorrow set deep inside the girl whose flame had been extinguished by mere words alone. This sorrow had led her to seek aid from her soul, aid from the sea of the unconscious itself, and attain the power to accomplish her goals alone. Her wish was granted, and so her hair was charred to a cold blackened hue, its former radiance diluted by the burning of her soul as it transcended humanity and became something more... something like the beings she so desperately wished to drive back. Her world was a rebellious one, one that didn't need a supervisor or heavenly beings, a world where humans needed only follow the winds of life like her lover so dearly told her.
She attained strength, enough strength to face the matriarch herself, but when it came the time to propose her own reason for existing... she couldn't. Without her lover by her side, the girl whose flame had led her to incinerate her own path stood pointless in front of her heavenly mother... but even then, her rebellious streak led her to taking even her own mother's life by the edge of her sword. The matriarch, knowing of her own selfishness, apologized to her daughter for the sorrow she had caused her, and forgave her for what she had done, before passing away with a sadness in her eyes. The girl, emotionless, waited for her mother's body to vanish, as a new world was created from the emptiness inside her heart. She had won, and her rebellion was successful, but the void in her heart could never be filled. Even with this new world to call hers, even seeing her former lover, she could think no more than a pure distaste for the power she had attained.
The flame inside her heart would never burn again.
AkaJack
Posts : 1763 Join date : 2014-12-19 Age : 29 Location : Behind you.... Boga boga boga
"Ooohh, a story huh?" Callie would say with a hint of excitement in her voice, thinking quickly about what story she should tell. Her and 8D had made up so many good ones over the years it was so hard to choose! But in the end she had to go with one of her favourite ones. "Okay, okay. I know just the thing!"
A long time ago, in a land far distant from the city of Endymion, was a place known as Everlong. It was a vast, open and lushes land of green grass and purple leafed trees. It was a land of peace and tranquility, where no rules had to be set, no bed times to follow! There was a castle atop a hill in this mystical land of Everlong, a castle with tall towers and a village all around its walls. This is the home of our stories magnificient heroes! The amazing duo who not only live in the grand Everlong City, they also fight to keep it safe from all the meanie bo deanie wrong dooers who like to try and mess up the place! These two were known as the ever loving, ever cheerful Fox Princess along side her most trusted companion the ever funny, ever silly Royal Court Jester! Together they stopped all kinds of bad guys who wanted to disrupt the peace of Everlong, and todays story is no different!
This particular story starts on a day like any other! It was a warm, cloudless day. The sun was shining bright and our heroes were out exploring the far out reaches of the Everlong forest, a place where many unique and beautiful plant and wildlife grew free. They were both merely minding their own business, out enjoying the world on one of their days off when the worst thing imaginable happened... Callie would pause for a moment, taking in a deep breath to put emphasis the seriousness of the situation. They were hungry... And they'd forgotten their picnic.
"Fret not dear Fox Princess, for I have a cunning plan!" The Royal Court Jester would exclaim at the top of his lungs. "You see its a good thing I always keep spare sandwiches in my lucky pants for such emergencies!" He'd continue, laughing eagerly at himself as he looked down. "... Unfortunately I may of forgot they were in at the dry cleaners today... Bummer. Lucky for you I PEAed my pants today! A-and by that I mean these pants are equipped with a can of peas!... But, wait... We have no can opener either... Drats! Foiled again!" The Jester was at a loss! All his ideas had came to ruin before they even started, yet this time, he had a fool proof idea! Dashing off and disappearing into the wilderness of the woods quite suddenly leaving the poor Princess alone! It felt as though the trees were coming to life all around her, their branches were inching closer to her, huge laughing faces would be painting within their bark, their higher leaves curled over and blocked out any and all sunlight from breaking through. Something bad was coming her way... She could feel it, beadily eyes of birds were watching her from the tree tops, mocking her for being so afraid of the unknown. Everything had seemed so peaceful only moments ago...
Fortunately, the eerie silence of the wind through the forest trees was cut short by a horrendously loud roar. The Princesses wide, scared eyes would search around for the direction of the noise, her eyes only to be met by the panting, out of breath Court Jester who was seemingly fleeing in her direction at unimaginable speeds carrying what seemed to be a giant egg above his head. "Run Princess! I'm not egg-sagerating! This is egg-stremely important! No yolking around! Get runny or get scrambled!" Cried out the Jester as he grabbed the Princess by the arm and dragged her alongside him. It was only by the sound of giant footsteps and the crashing of falling trees that finally lead her true fears of what was coming to become a reality. They were being chased by the beast of Eversong forest! The formidable abomination of hatred and vile thoughts! The disgusting, brutish creature who cared for nothing but herself! The devilish... Giga Turbo Chicken...
"Take it over-easy on me cause... Omeletting you know right now, this wasn't my fault!" The Jester would plead for the Fox Princesses forgiveness as the continued to duck, dive and dash through the forest. The Giga steps of the Turbo Chicken edging nearer and nearer to the duo, each tree snapping and falling with a large BOOM in its wake! Yet the Jester had another cunning plan! Whilst holding the giant egg with both hands over his head, holding and pulling the Princess along with another hand, he'd now reach into his pocket and pull out a small device with his other free hand! Unfortunately, his extra detachable spider arms weren't exactly the best at holding small objects and the controller would be dropped to the ground with a thud! With a light shove, the Jester would push the Princess to keep running without him before turning back and making a mad dash for the controller. Before he knew it, the giant Giga Turbo Chicken was looooming over the top of him, casting a humungous shadow that blocked out the sun and would send a shiver down even the bravest of warriors spines! Callie would stand up herself and try to make herself seem as big and looming as if mimicking what the giant would be like. However... With his quick wits and stunning pose, the Royal Court Jester would not only distract the Giga Chicken from attacking for a moment as he stood valiantly with full confidence before the terrifying beast, he'd also click the button with his feet that launched forth the netapult back from the castle grounds! Perfectly capturing the fowl beast in a huge weighted net. "Astalavista... Chicky." The Jester would laugh and bow to the beast before skipping off with his prize in hand to catch back up to the Fox Princess. The day had been saved once again! And lunch was back on the menu!
Together, they would eat their freshly found giant omelets and would be left at peace for now. Yet there are always more adventures round the corner in the land of Everlong! Who really knew what could happen next!
"Tsk." Frog snorted at the other people's stories. One of the guys actually sang a song where like, 70% of the verses were 'the man in red'. What a joke, right? He'd have to step the game up for all of them here, and what better way to do it than with a wee bit of horror...
Frog stepped forward toward the girl. Shadows flashed across his face, stopping only when he held a flashlight up from below towards his face. Imaginative lightning boomed behind him as he looked at the girl with dead eyes. "I hope you're ready." He stated, grinning at her.
"This story is a very very special story about a very very special little girl who just couldn't say no...to some very very tasty ice cream. I call the story..."
----------------------------------------------------------------- REVENGE OF THE ICE CREAM -----------------------------------------------------------------
Once upon a time, there lived a young girl, about your age, who really liked to eat ice cream. Straciatella, banana split, kiwi, pure unadulturated chocolate...she loved it all. She loved it so much that, every day after school, on her way home, she made it her goal to stop by the local ice-cream vendor and stuff herself full of the delicious creamyness.
One day, however, she got hold off in her classes until late afternoon, by the time night had already blanketed the horizon. The girl was sad even when the school day finally ended, sad because she knew that the vendor had probably already gotten closed, so she thrugged home unwillingly, dragging her ice cream shaped backpack behind her tracks. The air was still. Too still. Almost as if the whole world was sad together with her. She soon noticed how the crowded city streets were quiet at night and she regretted not having called her mother to come pick her up. She was so on edge she hadn't realized she'd already taken the turn and entered the street where the ice cream vendor always was. Her eyes widened and a smile danced across her lips when she saw a silhuette of a man behind the vendor in the distance.
All her worries faded and she ran. She ran as fast as her little feet could carry her, not stopping until her fingers grabbed the aluminum cover of the frigid box containing the biggest joy of her life...disregarding the quiet *plop* her feet made as she stepped into something.
/I want a vanilla ice cream with jello and bunch of chocolate chips and I was a cherry on top and cookie crumbs and a scoop of that blue ice cream everyone hates and I want...I want.../
The girl was extant and words flew thoughtlessly out of her mouth. They stopped though. Stopped when she noticed the terror laid out in front of her.
And she ran. She ran as fast as her little feet, now drenched in ice cream, could carry her, not stopping until...
...she slipped.
Horror washed over her as thoughts ran through her confused mind. She had to get up and escape! The girl yelped as she pushed against her knees, getting back up. It was all over her hands as well...the terrifying, terrifying thing. Over her legs now too. But she couldn't stop, she just couldn't, not after what she saw. She had to get home, home to her mother. To her father.
No cars were on sight. No people either. No sounds, no stars.
She was alone with the thing out here. So she had to get home. As she got up, she sprinted again. She sprinted and sprinted, panting with each new step she took. She could feel the sweet waft reaching her. Was she not fast enough? Her house was just in sight, only a bit further...
The girl grabbed the door knob to her house, swinging the door open with a single motion and closing them with another. The door clicked and she took the keys to lock them. The waft was so strong...so enticing...
The keys slipped from her ice creamed fingers. She grabbed them quickly and finally locked the door.
With a sigh of relief, she turned around to go run into her parents' embrace. She could see them waiting for her at the end of a dimly lit hall. She could see them and she threw herself in her mother's hands...only to fall right through her.
Confused at first, she soon realized what had happened and she broke crying before the sight of splattered ice cream all over the floor. Her father had collapsed into a pile of ice cream as well. A plain vanilla ice cream. Her mother was one of those weird Japanese ice creams, like, squid or something. She didn't need to taste it to know it. What was enough were the tentacles that grew from the pile. She couldn't run anymore. She could hear the ice cream-man slinking through the cracks between the door and the frame. It was all over now...it was time to go...time for revenge on the world that was so greedy, so twisted, so unthoughtful. Because sometimes, when people enjoy something a lot, they can go too far. Someone had to teach them a lesson. She was gonna eat them all. Devour them like they devoured ice cream daily. And she was gonna love it. A human-tasting ice cream, what a lovely idea...
So next time you crave the cold mushy scoop, think twice, because it might just eat you instead of the other way around...
Brittie
Posts : 992 Join date : 2015-10-07
Subject: Re: Case-Story Time[Case File 10] Sat Apr 15, 2017 11:45 am
"Uh? Is it my turn already?" Brittany wasn't paying attention to everyone else's stories. Nah, they were too big. Like, hella big. So she decided to look up on her phone device meanwhile, taking photos and before she noticed, everyone else had ended their tales.
"Oh, I have one! It's kinda big but it's worth it, totally! It's about some people believed to have superpowers no one else possesses. They're called "mutants". Have you ever heard of them? X-Men? Yeah, I swear they exist and people don't like them at all. They fear the mutants for what they can do, but some can be even close to you and you wouldn't know! One of them could be, maybe, a little guy in a little town in the country side of the America. Probably Texas, because it does look like Texas would be the place for this. His name is Kirby Jung and he was attending elementary school. According to some people, he was kinda new to the city, he and his parents had just moved in from Korea. Yeah, they were koreans. You know, the tiny country from East Asia, neighbour to China and Japan. if you're good at Geography you know what I'm talking about!
Anyway, Kirby was kinda shy and he wouldn't talk to anyone in his first day of school. Or even the other days too. People were starting to think he couldn't really speak english, and it was true. He was also kinda fat so the other kids bullied him a lot for this. Teachers? Nah, they didn't do a thing about it. Now that I think about it, teachers usually do nothing, they think it's just part of childhood playing... Anyway, yeah, almost every kid bullied the poor Kirby, save for one. His name was Michael. They weren't reaaally friends and they couldn't really communicate well because, you know, language barrier, but they got along fairly well. At least compared to others. If you asked Michael about it, he'd say they aren't friends at all. Like, they simply got along and that's all.
Well, whatever, years have passed and they grew up, now in high school. People have stopped calling him "Kirbwhale" because of his weight. Actually, if you asked everyone, it's like they didn't even remember who was him, because now Kirby got along with everyone, from teachers to students alike. He was THE King of the school, you know. Popular and all, everyone adored him and those who didn't wouldn't say they didn't. You wouldn't want to get on the bad side of the most popular kid in school, right? But Kirby was nice. He got taller, he got thinner too, he became a happy guy who even could speak english fluently! Can you imagine the change? There was a rumor going on that people saying he looks like he could get in everyone else's minds and this is why he knew all of the school gossip. And why he convinced a teen rock band to let him be the vocalist. Makes sense, doesn't it? Or maybe he could just be, you know, too liked and popular in the school. Michael was just a regular nerd but heard all of these stories. Of course he would, he was "friends" with Kirby.
Anyway, one day he was performing with his band in the gym. It was like the entire school was there. Yeah, Michael was too. He got a special invitation from Kirby, but he wasn't too fond of crowds and rock. Being the nerd he is, he stayed close to the exit and brought his books with him to study. Yeah, study at a rock concert. I know, right? Laaaame! Everyone was so into the show that they didn't notice the football team of the school joining the gym. Matt was the name of the football team captain and they looked kinda like they were up to no good, carrying some beer bottles and all, whispering something between them. Michael, being close to the exit, did notice Matt and his crew but said nothing. Maybe the guys just wanted to drink while watching? A lot of teenagers do that even if they aren't legal.
But no, they didn't have the intention to drink, oh no. What they wanted was far more...cruel. It was no secret that they didn't like Kirby, so what they decided to do was ruin the concert by throwing bottles on him from the highest bleachers. So, the first bottle didn't hit Kirby, he actually dodged it like he saw it coming. Still, he managed to keep singing, everyone else was enjoying the show. The second, third, forth bottles didn't hit Kirby was well. He must have been good at dodgeball! The alcohol smell? Oh, that was all around! Nobody seemed to mind, which is odd...I guess everyone is afraid to mess with the football team, so even if they didn't like how Matt and his team friends were trying to bully Kirby and call him names, no one opposed. Then, Matt threw the fifth bottle...and it did hit Kirby right in the forehead! He staggered a bit, he fell on his knees, lowered his head... It's like time had stopped, the whole gym became silent and the song ceased immediately. Then Matt, smiling, threw the sixth bottle to hit him for good. When Kirby raised his head... Surprise, his eyes were shining like he was possessed! The bottle that flew in his direction was simply...floating in the air like something made it float! Or maybe someone made it float. Then it exploded and the shards flew all over the place. That's when everyone panicked, yelling and running for their lives! And that's when Matt finally realized it. Kirby was a mutant! The rock show was gone, but he did put on such a show there, didn't he?
...sorry, I couldn't help the pun. Erm, anyway, apparently no one got severely hurt. The next day of school was awkward, Kirby didn't show up and everyone was silent about what happened or talking about Kirby being a mutant who destroyed the gym with his powers, how he could have killed everyone. Matt rejoiced, he didn't like Kirby from the get-go and now he knew why. To him, a good mutant is a dead mutant. He was talking in the corridors about visiting Kirby's house and return the "favor". He was recruiting everyone as much as he could and odd, people were with him! Michael? Oh he was going too! But not exactly to follow Matt, but to see what he was up to.
So, that day, Matt and everyone else met up and went together to the Jungs house. It was quite a mob he gathered there, even the parents of some students had gone with them. Oh they were carrying some stones and bottles too, but not simply beer bottles. These ones were molotov bottles. You know, the one that explodes into fire if you throw them? Yeah, that! Once they reached the house, Matt started yelling: "OUT OF OUR TOWN, MUTANTS!", "WE DON'T NEED THE LIKES OF YOU AROUND!" He threw the first bottle through the window...then the second, the third...and soon the house started burning down. The smell of smoke was horrible and the smoke itself covered all of the vision, so no one would know what happened to the Jung family.
Michael? He did nothing. He didn't throw a bottle, a stone or everything. I kinda believe he didn't like what they were doing but he couldn't do anything alone to stop it. What happened next? The next two or three days were rather calm. They solved the "problem" and got their revenge, so no one said a word about it, no one heard of the Jungs either. But Michael did. One day he asked about it to Kirby's former band, if they'd find another vocalist, and they said "but we don't even know how to play anything". Weird, right? Then Michael asked Matt and the football team and they frowned at him saying "are you crazy? Mutants don't exist!". It was all getting too bizarre, so when Michael left school that day, he randomly passed by the train station...and he saw Kirby there, with his bags, waiting for the next train. He looked at him, Kirby looked back...and nothing else. They should have exchanged words, right? Totally! Maybe Michael wanted to, but he was so confused about it all, shocked even... He also had said he wasn't even friends with Kirby. Still...he was concerned. So he did what anyone else would do: he ran straight up to the Jungs house! That's when he met Kirby's parents packing and preparing to leave. When asked, they said they were grateful for their time in America but they had to go back home. The electric system of their house "failed" and they lost most of their possessions, it was a sign for them to return to Korea. Weird, right? Michael remembered everything, it wasn't a failure in the domestic electric system. But they thought it was! Then, Michael gathered courage and finally asked about their son, Kirby, without telling them he saw him in the next train station.
They exchanged a confused look, laughed a bit awkwardly and... You know what they said next?", Brittany made an intriguing face as she let the silence sink in before the final revelation.
"This story isn't particularly well-known or old, but for what it lacks in age and notoriety, it makes up for with wisdom. After the divide, people started telling it to their children. It's unlikely you'll hear this anywhere outside of Endymion, so listen up and enjoy a little story we'll call..." Cecilia deliberately paused, a smile forming on her lips and a few seconds passing before she announced its name and began the tale from memory.
Once upon in a time in a world quite different from ours, there was a tower called Aornum. It was a very large tower, one so big and tall that it touched the very top of the sky, so massive that the few who knew of its existence whispered of it leading up to the very heavens themselves. Inside the tower lived a strange, blue-haired, young girl made of nuts and bolts: a child who proclaimed herself Aornum's clockwork king and ruled over it as her personal palace. All within its walls belonged to her, although in truth this brought her little joy, for though she was the king, she had but only a single subject in the form of a small, friendly crow.
Though he enjoyed her company and she his, the two only had each other. Few on the outside knew of the tower and none who did would dare brave journeying into it, for a great and disgusting fog covered the surrounding area, and even those could bear its putrid smell found themselves frightened off by the hungry dragon which guarded entrance. The girl could not even take refuge in her memories; she had no recollection of any life she had outside of the tower (if one had ever existed for her in the first place) and as such she had no memories of any friends other than the crow.
Within Aornum were many things to do. The toys were endless and the food was plentiful; all that she desired was provided, even her favorite fireworks, but she could never leave the tower for fear of the same dragon that kept people from getting in. She wanted to go out and see what the rest of the world was like, but without any clear way to exit she was forced to spend her days inside of it, indulging mindlessly in what her kingdom and prison had to offer. For a time this brought a certain base, hedonistic sense of pleasure, but it could not keep her mind from wandering off, nor could it ease her pain.
One day while the crow was busy gathering some sweets for her, the clockwork queen found sat at the top of the tower, looking out into the night sky. She gazed up at the stars and reached out to touch them only to find they were too far away to reach. Her eyes looked down to the ground below, but she found nothing, the sights of the world denied to her by the thickness of the fog. For the first time since the day she awoke, tears began to stream down her face. "Why? Why must I suffer so?" She sobbed to the sky above, which answered her with tears of its own. The rain drenched her clothes in no time at all, but stricken with despair she didn't bother to move, collapsing to the ground and weeping quietly to herself.
It was around this time, however, that she heard the voice of another. Soft, gentle... It was not the crow's as he could only caw, nor was it the dragon's as his was far too gruff. The clockwork king turned to face the source of the sound and discovered another woman, her hair brown as a teddy bear's and eyes as blue as the so-called ocean the child had seen in pop-up books. "What's wrong?" The woman asked. With a stroke of her hand, she wiped away the tears of the confused girl. "There's no need to cry, is there?"
"This tower is my only home. I want to be free, but no one can help me." The king lamented.
"Have you tried escaping on your own?" Asked the woman.
"The walls are too tall for me to a toss a rope over and the ground is so far away that I'd never wake up if I fell."
"Have you tried asking the crow to help?"
"He's strong and helpful, but he could never carry me. His wings are too little and his body is too frail."
There was a silence between the two. The mysterious woman turned her back to the girl and walked forwards a few feet, but slowly she spun around and faced her once again with the same gentle, untroubled smile from before. Then once more she spoke, this time with words the child didn't have an answer to.
"Have you tried asking Isla? If others cannot help you, the goddess surely will, will she not?"
The girl had never heard of such a person before and felt doubtful, but with no other options she decided to give it a shot. She nodded and suddenly the brown-haired girl began to fade away into light, disappearing as quickly as she had came. Kneeling down, the clockwork king began to pray, placing her hopes in the help of this "Isla."
When the crow returned (his tiny wings crossed together holding as many sweets as he could possibly carry), he found his king standing atop an ephemeral stairway, a glee in her eyes he had never seen before. Stairs made of stars, they led up in the sky and down to anywhere in their world. Through the goddess's aid, they were finally free. And so the two took to travelling throughout the stars with a song in their heart and the fires of faith burning in their souls.
They say that the crow and the kingdomless king still travel to this day, that there are many more sights for them to see, perhaps in their world or perhaps in ours. Who knows? Maybe one day they'll pass you by on the street and you won't even know. And maybe, just maybe, if you hope, and pray, and believe in Isla truly with all your heart, they'll welcome you to join them in their travels too one day.