Episode 4. Shuffle Time (3)
Sometimes, she had thoughts like this.
What if the things "normal" people believed in were fake, and the ravings of the mad were actually true? For example, people with severe brain damage that can't be healed live believing only in what they alone can see. Some see massive fish swimming in the sky, others perceive people as horrific monsters, and plenty seek out churches to fix their problems. What if they were the ones seeing the real world properly? What if the world everyone else saw was the fake one? If that were true, what would we do?
Shallow, unserious musings like that.
"Hmm……."
The one lost in such thoughts right now was Claire.
Usually, they were just idle notions that popped up while spacing out, but today, her mind lingered on them longer than usual. Why? There wasn't any grand reason worth voicing aloud.
Maybe it was just because this was her first time out in the wider world, letting random thoughts multiply. Ah, "out" meaning, of course, leaving the snowfield behind.
The ground and grass, hidden under thickening snow, were gradually revealing themselves, and before they knew it, not a speck of snow was visible anywhere.
"Mister."
"Yes, Claire."
"Obvious, but snow only comes in winter, right?"
"Unless something weird happens."
"But this is the first time I've seen a place without snow."
"……."
"Like, it's summer right now? As far as I know."
Maybe sensing the awkward silence in his last reply, Claire lightly spread her hands with a sheepish grin to keep the conversation going. Still, she wasn't ignoring Aiden, so his response came quickly.
"Well, I've heard it's a place where it snows a lot."
"Never saw a nice day there my whole life."
"How the hell did you survive in a place like that……."
Her upbringing wasn't what you'd call ideal. Brutal weather cycled regularly, even normal days left you shivering, and monsters from books and imagination actually roamed there. How do you even live in a dump like that? If anything, she wanted to ask.
"Well, that's why I left! Legs hurt a bit, but whatever."
"No regrets? Not scared?"
Claire tilted her head.
"I just left. Too soon for regrets. I'll think about it if something happens."
Pretty laid-back mindset for someone who claimed to have run off without a plan. Or maybe that's exactly why she could be so casual.
"Well, one thing's bugging me."
"Problem?"
"My legs hurt. Walked too much."
"……."
"Keep going like this, and I'll collapse."
Or maybe she was so carefree it bordered on "whatever happens, happens." Still, she really looked worn out—not just whining. No sweat or heavy breathing, but moments ago, she'd been clutching her thigh with her head down.
Her pale skin suggested she never really used strength or stamina before. People who never had to do hard labor as kids sometimes acted like this.
"So, what do you want to do?"
"Can I be honest?"
"Even if not, I'll stick with you till the city, and no rush now, so do whatever."
"…Wanna rest a bit, haha."
"Fine by me."
Aiden had his own stuff, but nothing pressing. Mercenaries spent most time hunting jobs and traveling anyway. On the way back? A day or two extra was nothing.
"Wait, really?"
"No harm in resting."
"Didn't think you'd agree so easy."
Thrilled, Claire planted her staff's tip in the ground, stretched her legs, and caught her breath. Ideally, she'd sit and rest for tens of minutes like this, but no seats around. Sitting on dirt? Not even considering it. Permission to stop and rest was luxury enough.
As Claire thought that, Aiden crossed his arms.
"No way I'd refuse that."
"Yeah. Wonder why I thought otherwise. Preconception?"
"Preconception?"
"Ah."
Realizing her slip, Claire awkwardly smiled, turned her head away, then peeked back at Aiden with just her eyes, covering her mouth with the book in her hand.
"Y'know, the type who hates slacking, yells to hurry up……."
"……."
"Ah, you never pressured me like that! Right. But, like, you just look like that kinda guy. First impressions and all. We're basically strangers who met recently, traveling together now but who knows later, so... yeah, looks stick more. That……."
Aiden said nothing, but Claire rambled on, hung up on something. Basically, his first impression sucked. All his careful behavior so far? Shocking.
"And you always frown like this. Kinda."
He decided to let it go here. Keep listening, and he might get offended by someone he met just two days ago.
"Yeah, yeah. You can stop. Rest however you like."
"Hey, I wasn't done!"
"Then catch your breath and continue."
"Haha, ha……. Yeah. Ha……."
Only after the talk ended could Claire finally breathe properly. How does someone this out of shape from flatland walking never stop chattering?
"Anyway! You're a good guy, mister."
"…Yeah."
"While we're at it, mister."
Claire exhaled long, relaxed her stance, and approached Aiden. It took longer than expected—she'd been lagging behind due to their pace difference.
Up close, his dark curly hair peeked from under the hood. Total opposite of her silver-gray locks.
Looking up, recalling his face again, Claire said,
"Shall we find somewhere to sit……?"
Sometimes, she had thoughts like this.
Playing a game alone gets incredibly lonely after a while.
An embarrassing story she'd never told anyone, but maybe one person could relate.
The biggest help for player immersion is "story." Expectations that the protagonist's tale and goals will pay off pull players to the end, and diverse stories in the crafted world give the thrill of exploration.
But games end after the finale. Post-credits, players think "I've finished the story," lose interest, and face abandoning all their built experiences.
Replay? Just repeating NPCs greet you. No more story to guide your hand. New game? Can't recapture the first immersion in a "finished" tale. Mods from other players? The world becomes "data," not a world.
The world freezes, leaving only the accomplished protagonist and player.
Single-player games were like that.
"Satisfied with a rock?"
"Where's a better chair than a boulder out here?"
"Heh."
But maybe this time was different.
Sephirah, tailing the NPCs quietly, thought so cautiously in a corner of her mind.
Treat it as a new event?
NPCs acting on their own usually had one intent: let players intervene in residents' lives for positive outcomes and fun.
Usually, maps marked spots or dialogue hinted woes, signaling entry points…….
Available Missions: None
No openings to intervene with Aiden and the nun traveling together. They just chatted idly, no woes or quest alerts. Their story progressed with time, ignoring the player.
Main story protagonist? Abandoned.
Exciting. Stuff like this exists.
No quests to aid the player's mission yet. Not just them—surrounding NPCs acted differently too.
These two NPCs were moving a world frozen for years.
"Gotta ask other players……."
Sephirah opened her browser, gestured in air to navigate to the community. Last login: a year ago, amid sequel gripes.
Normally, no return till sequel news, but needing info, she scanned recent posts.
"Huh."
She kept scrolling. Greetings were old whines like "sequel when?" Focused on guides/questions, but no hits.
Sequel dates, rage at side stories—posts faded to last year. No mentions of in-game anomalies she'd seen.
Missing something?
Shifted search: top posts last year. One stood out with huge attention.
The post's photo showed a translated foreign player's tale of recent in-game woes.
Prologue glitched. Alert to find Aiden Oliver. Picked hostile option on wary Aiden, HP depleted, died. Save corrupted—same loop impossible.
"Ooh……."
Reactions as expected: mod user mistaking for vanilla? Fake effort. "Release sequel before we all go mad." Mostly negative mockery.
Few similar experiences; sympathizers got same ridicule.
But Sephirah was certain.
This is it?
The very thing she'd sought.
