Valentine Timeslip Prologue Part 2

So picking up from last time, when Echo’s tears hit the floor the garden interior was flooded with light. You shut your eyes to it all, and eventually an unnatural darkness sets in that narration compares to passing out. You then wake up at the mystery spring as you try to figure out what just happened.

 

You’re lying in the ground and feeling a sense of being ill at ease as you slowly get up. Then you realize you aren’t in Tokyo anymore. You wonder if an overworld shift has occurred and are concerned for everyone else. Barguest abruptly wakes up as he starts asking why you guys are in the middle of some forest when you were supposed to be in a botanical garden. He then starts looking for Kenta since he says he was just around earlier.

 

Barguest immediately bangs his head against a branch when he tries to get up to call for Kenta. You ask if he’s okay and comment that he bumped into that thing at full force. Barguest did hurt himself but seems mostly okay, and he notices you’re here and is glad you’re fine. He then tries to ask you about the gardens, the cafe, and Kenta and Inugami.

 

Gyumao walks over and tells Barguest he needs to calm down since they shouldn’t panic. Snow comes over next and is glad everyone is alright. Gyumao says Barguest should really get his head looked at since they don’t know how much damage he just did to himself. You express relief that Snow and Gyumao are alright, ask what’s happening, or ask if anyone else is here.

 

Gyumao says the only thing they know for sure is that something unusual is happening. He suggests keeping in mind the ideas of information, contacting, and discussion to deal with the situation. Barguest however is not okay with taking things slowly since Kenta might be in danger and demands Gyumao move so that he can go look for him.

 

Snow says acting alone is inadvisable and suggests making sure you all are safe first. Barguest doesn’t argue the point. You can either talk to him, call to Gyumao, or say you’re relieved that Snow is so calm.

 

In A, Barguest apologizes and says he’s panicking too much from banging his head. He then prompts you to take his hand so you can stand up, and he tells you that you have to let go immediately after you get up or else you’ll get dragged into his bad luck. But after a second to think on it he figures it’s more likely that he’ll get caught up in your bad luck with how much of a troublemaker you are.

 

In B, Gyumao is relieved to see that you’re okay because if something happened to you, he says there’d be immeasurable losses. He’s a little surprised by what’s happening, but trouble happens when it comes to business. Don’t rush your first move, start by gathering information! Gyumao then holds his hand out to pull you up and says you guys can handle this incident with your combined efforts.

 

In C, Snow is glad you guys all met up safely and offers his hand to help you get on your feet. He notes afterwards that you seem fine, and that he’s glad even if he had an idea that he was worried over nothing. He asks you to leave things to him and says he’ll protect you with everything he has.

 

Anyways, after you get up you take a look at your surroundings. Narration describes the scenery as similar to what you saw through the glass walls or domes of the botanical gardens, but it’s also clearly the scenery of some other forest. Tree branches reach into the sky, and sunlight passes through the leaves. And in front of you is a calm spring that’s like a mirror. Daffodils/narcissus flowers bloom all around it.

 

Snow admires the scenery and says the other flowers around are blooming beautifully. He does sense an unnaturalness to it though. As verdant as the forest is it feels like barely anything lives there. Barguest agrees as he notes it’s too quiet. There are no small animals or birds making any noises.

 

Snow closes his eyes as he focuses himself. He senses Heracles, then tells you guys that As Of Now, you Five are the only people in the immediate area. He doesn’t sense anyone else around but notes that you guys have been thrown into some big trouble.

 

You question Snow saying there’s five of you around, and Gyumao says that last person should be around the spring like you guys. You look over and notice Echo after a bit, recognizing her as that girl looking at the flowers earlier and noticing that she seems to be sleeping sadly. Barguest asks who she is since she wasn’t with your gang. Gyumao figures she’s a Transient based on her appearance and questions if she’s related to this incident. You say she might be, say you don’t know yet, or tell Gyumao he shouldn’t make preconceived notions.

 

Going B, Gyumao is impressed with how calm you are and says his eyes are reliable in having picked you. Anyways, Snow suggests you guys go somewhere safer to think about things. It may be calm now but there’s no telling how long it’ll stay like that. Gyumao says it’s risky to go around in a forest you can’t see that far in at night, so he agrees that you guys should find a way out while it’s still daytime.

 

Snow suggests that it’s likely that thirsty beasts might come by to look for water here. He also decides to share one other bit of information, though he hopes it’s nothing. He informs you all that he sensed someone strong further within the forest, though he doesn’t know who. You either find this scary, suggest leaving now, and/or wonder if there are man eating plants around.

 

Gyumao says that for now you guys have settled on a plan and says you guys should go, then asks about what to do with Echo. Barguest wants to carry her, but he asks someone else to do it because he’d rather not let his bad luck rub off on her. You either volunteer or ask if someone else can carry her.

 

Going A, Barguest thanks you and says it’s sad that he has to do so given how built he is. Though since that’s happening, he offers to take the rear for the party so that he can let his misfortune affect anyone attacking you guys if it comes to that. Snow decides to take the lead as you guys head out.

 

The party starts making their way out, and eventually when you get out into the land of Ancient Greek decor, everyone is shocked by the scenery. You yell asking where you guys are, ask if the gardens disappeared, or ask if this is some new spot in Yumenoshima. Gyumao picks out the roads that reach the sky and asks if you guys are in Gandhara/Ancient India. Barguest denies that though he says he knows nothing about that place.

 

Snow says he’s glad the forest wasn’t that deep and that you guys made it out. Barguest is shocked at how calm Snow is being. Snow says that as a butler he has to be calm no matter what. He laughs that this isn’t apparently as harsh as when he was studying to be a butler. Barguest can’t help but ask what the hell kind of school Snow went to because that’s going beyond ‘it’s a big world out there.’

 

Snow internally thinks about that Mountain and seems to have an idea about it. Gyumao comments that it’s great you guys got out of the forest and says your first mission has been completed safely. Snow says that the next mission would be finding a safe place.

 

Barguest notes that he sees something like a cabin near the bank of the small river over there. Gyumao compliments him and says he’ll give him 100 likes. Snow says he’ll give him 120 likes then. Barguest asks what the hell they’re talking about and is surprised they can joke around now. You either ask if Barguest knows them, demand some likes too, or wonder if Echo is okay.

 

Going A, Barguest says he’s worked at the Ikebukuro Underground Arena for a bit one time, and that he’s also worked at constructing a theme park in Roppongi. Snow says Barguest always does a good job and as a manager would like to hire him long term. Gyumao jokes about Snow being a manager and says he already tried since he thought the same thing. Barguest declines since bad luck will follow if he stays in one place too long. He has his own way of working, and he tells them to think of it as for their sake instead of his.

 

Anyways, the party reaches the cabin around this point, and Barguest says no one is inside. At the very least no one is using it now. It’ll suck for the owners if any exist, but they’ll be borrowing it for now. He also notes that water isn’t that far away, so its position is fine. Snow says it’s great to have shelter from the rain. It’s got room, and it works well enough for a base.

 

Snow pulls out a small bottle from the things he’s been carrying. He says it’s medicine and that it should be enough to wake Echo. It’s kind of strong but it doesn’t have any side effects. Since Echo wakes up with a sneeze I’m going to believe they’re smelling salts. But anyways Echo wakes up confused, and Snow explains that you guys brought her here because she was out cold.

 

Echo parrots what Snow said to her about waking up. Snow and Barguest are surprised by this and asks if she’s not used to speaking. Barguest also mentions that this may be a racial thing among summoned Transients since it happens sometimes. Echo struggles to answer until she eventually says yes and repeats the part about not being used to speaking. Barguest is mildly surprised Echo can converse to some extent.

 

Gyumao says that’s reassuring and asks if Echo can tell them her name. She answers that yes, she ‘can.’ She then goes quiet, so Barguest tries prompting her to say it. Gyumao is a little taken aback and comments that this will be a tough interview if they can’t communicate properly.

 

You pick up on how Echo’s speech patterns work to an extent as you whisper to yourself, and Echo looks up to you as she notices. You introduce yourself and ask Echo to tell you her name. Echo finally answers as she introduces herself back.

 

Barguest understands how Echo generally works in conversations now but comments on how different Transients can be. Gyumao notes and spells out that Echo can only answer questions she’s actually asked. Barguest brings back up that that’s how she could answer whether she could tell you guys her name without actually saying what it is. Echo nods looking slightly ashamed.

 

Gyumao laughs and tells Echo to relax since Transients all have their own circumstances. He had it rough when he first came over, and he had no idea what to do with business talks especially. Echo is surprised by this, and Gyumao says that if you know your quirks, you can handle anything. That’s what the pioneer mindset is all about, baby!

 

You comment that it’s great that you know Echo’s name now, suggest she be optimistic and say you guys have taken a step forward, or exchange pleasantries with Echo. In A, Echo just nods. In C, she repeats the pleasantries back.

 

Anyways, Snow suggests you guys try to get a grip on your situation and asks Echo to help too. He starts by asking if she remembers where she was before she woke up here. Echo answers that she was at the gardens. Snow says you guys were there too and saw the special exhibit on flowers related to love. Echo seems shocked by that.

 

Snow then says a sudden bright light enveloped everything at that point, and everyone was in that forest when they came to. Echo seems confused by that. Snow says he’s experienced something like this before, so it’s probably another one of those cases. Gyumao comes out and says you guys seem to be stuck in an overworld shift. You either ask about that or respond that you thought so.

 

Snow says it’s a phenomenon that happens in Tokyo that you rarely see. You can say you’ve been in them a bunch for times, ask for further explanation, or say this is your first time.

 

Going A, Barguest is shocked by that and asks when did all that happen before wondering if disaster is also in your nature. Snow laughs and says that the frequency increases alongside the number of Transients. He decides he’ll give an explanation on overworld shifts anyways for Echo’s benefit.

 

So, an overworld shift is when an area in Tokyo gets overlaid by an area that resembles somewhere from another world. The cause of this phenomenon is unclear, but there are certain commonalities between all overworld shifts. Insert line break for Echo.

 

Now, there are some exceptions, but the first point in common is that overworld shifts occur in places that are enclosed whether it’s by buildings or the weather. Within that space, there needs to be a majority consisting of Transients or App Users. Then, there has to be a Transient acting as the shift’s core. The mental landscape of the core Transient, like an unforgettable scene, gets overlaid onto that area. That’s how overworld shifts work.

 

You either say you never knew this, thank Snow for his explanation, or ask if Echo understood. Going C, Echo says it was a little hard but she did get it. She mulls over the concept, and Barguest speaks up to say that while he knows caution is important, he wants to head out as soon as possible. He’s worried Kenta is in here somewhere alone and afraid.

 

Snow asks him to wait and says that, while it is a guess, he believes it’s unlikely Kenta is in here. Far as he saw, the only people dragged into the shift was everyone in a part of the special exhibit. Barguest asks if Snow is saying that there are people who were taken in and people who weren’t. Snow repeats that it’s just a guess, but that might be why Kenta isn’t around. Barguest points out he has no evidence. Snow admits that, but he also insists Kenta wasn’t in the forest.

 

Gyumao speaks up to say that he’s experienced an overworld shift before in a certain project, and that not everyone around was pulled in at that time. Gyumao sympathizes but says they’ll just have to believe. He also says it’ll be okay since your friends were there too. Barguest agrees and says Inugami is with Kenta, though he really hopes he’s okay as he shakes some of his anxiety off.

 

Barguest apologizes and continues the main topic by suggesting you guys look for a way back to the gardens. You ask that if a Transient is the shift’s core, does that mean someone here is it? Snow says that since the overworld shift displays the core’s mental landscape, it’s going to be showing their old world. He suggests going outside because maybe someone will recognize the scenery.

 

The Analyst kicks in as the party walks on out a bit, and narration describes the view. Underneath the blue sky, there’s a quiet grassland spreading out in the distance. There are large mountains, and forests spread out at the foot of them. Gyumao notes that the mountains don’t really remind him of Flaming Mountains, and that they aren’t on fire either, so it’s not anything he remembers.

 

Barguest says it could be the Tir na Nog he remembers if the forests were thicker, but nope. That said he still feels some strange sense of nostalgia. No one seems to have any ideas, but as everyone keeps looking, a certain giant mountain catches everyone’s attention. Echo recognizes it, so Snow asks if she knows where they are. Echo says this is what Olympus looks like.

 

Snow seems to have already guessed as much and says that when he was studying other worlds, he heard about that mountain’s special characteristics. It’s the sacred mountain where the the twelve who sit at the top of the world’s hierarchy live. Given what Echo has said, he’s sure this is Olympus too. You ask if this means Echo is the overworld shift core then.

 

Echo is surprised by this, and when the party all starts looking at her she bursts into tears. Barguest quickly apologizes and says they aren’t blaming her as he tries to get her to calm down. Gyumao agrees and says it’s not her fault or anything. They’re just taking things in steps and trying to solve the situation. Snow says he at least sees that Echo has a connection to a certain place. She feels even worse about that.

 

Barguest tells Snow to stop agitating Echo. Snow realizes how insensitive he was being and apologizes, saying he was just trying to understand the situation and wasn’t trying to make her feel bad. You either comment about how the three of them are intimidating, tell Echo she didn’t do anything wrong and that she shouldn’t worry, or gently hug her.

 

Going B, Echo calms down and Snow suggests investigating the spring from earlier. Echo finds that significant, and you agree that maybe there might be something and ask if Echo will help. Echo agrees to help search the place and concedes that maybe she is the one to create the overworld shift. Barguest is quiet, so Snow asks what’s on his mind. Barguest says he was just thinking that Echo is surprisingly strong, and that she’s like Kenta.

 

Time skips to the party going back to the spring as Gyumao tells Echo that’s where everyone else woke up and asks if she knows anything. Echo however is preoccupied with the spring. Snow guesses that based off Echo’s reactions that the spring is the center of the shift. If this is something that Echo can’t forget, then maybe there’s something there that can lead to their escape.

 

Everyone takes a look, and you point out that you see someone on the other side of the spring. Echo is shocked to see that person, who she says is Narcissus. You ask her if she knows him, and she gives a small nod. At that moment fierce wyverns pop out of nowhere.

 

Barguest expresses surprise at their appearance and asks where they came from. Snow says they had no presence or hostility until they showed up and compares it to teleportation. He calls out to you and Echo to come back. Gyumao says things are getting worse and that they should leave ASAP.

 

While chaos sets in, Echo is still standing rooted at the spot she’s at. You either wonder what’s happening or try calling to Echo and ask her to reach out to you. She hangs her head and shuts her eyes as she calls out to Narcissus. Another tear drops from her face, and light covers everything again as the episode ends.