Flower of Eternity/Story

Overview
 • **Story**

This is the exclusive story that comes with Flower of Eternity.

### Transcript

**Tour Guide:** Please move along. Up ahead are the Ruins of the Huntress, where the Huntress hunted the sacred deer.
*I listen to the tour guide's introduction as I go with the crowd through the ruins.*
*But Roy seems uninterested in the story. He is engrossed in his thoughts, frowning.*
**Me:** (Is he still thinking about work?)
*Roy has been working on a hard case that has yet to be closed. So I take him on a trip to cheer him up.*
*But it seems that things aren't working right now.*
**Tour Guide:** One of the sacred deer has gotten away and is still wandering in the woods.
**Tour Guide:** According to legend, anyone who sees it will be given a year of good fortune.
**Me:** Huh-
*The rock I'm standing on suddenly shakes, and I lose my balance. Luckily, I quickly grab Roy's clothes.*
*Snap-I yank the button on Roy's collar by accident.*
*I look at him, and he looks back at me, as if time has stopped. Then I come to my senses.*
**Me:** I-I am so sorry. It was an accident.
*Roy recovers from his trance and quickly fixes his collar, his face red and heated.*
*The tour group has already left. An uncomfortable silence adds to the awkwardness of the air.*
**Me:** I'll go see where the tour group is.
*I rush toward the group before Roy can react.*
*The breeze brushes against my face,*
*And it turns out that in my haste, I have taken the wrong turn.*
*A deer suddenly dashes by in the woods nearby.*
**Me:** Could this be the legendary sacred deer?
*As if hypnotized, I proceed in the direction where the deer vanishes.*

### Transcript

*I'm not sure how long I've been walking, but when I divide the bushes, I'm taken aback by what I see.*
*A white-clad young man leans by a tree, as a deer licks the blossoms from his outstretched hand.*
*A shaft of light cuts through the thick trees, bathing him in a dreamlike glow.*
**Me:** Roy? Why are you here?
*When he looks at me, a bright light appears in his eyes and then quickly fades away.*
**???:** Who are you?
**Me:** I am [Player]. We were with the tour group and then we got separated. You don't remember?
**???:** Tour group? What's that?
*I can see the confusion in his brilliant eyes as they fix on me.*
*The boy may have the same appearance as Roy, but he has an otherworldly innocence in his eyes.*
**Me:** You are not... Roy?
**???:** My name is Roy, but I've never met you before.
**Me:** (How is that possible? They have the same appearance and name?)
*But based on his clothing...*
**Me:** Are you in a period drama?
**Me:** Or is it some sort of variety show with pranks and a hidden camera?
*Roy's face changes from confused to frosty. He starts ignoring me as he strokes the deer.*
*I stop talking and sit down next to him. After a long while, I give it another shot.*
**Me:** Are you familiar with this area?
*Roy gives a nod. But he's still not looking at me.*
**Me:** Can you then show me the way out? I'm lost, and my friend will be worried if he can't find me. **Roy:** I can't leave here.
**Me:** Why?
**Roy:** I placed a bet with someone. Only after I find the Flower of Eternity will I be able to regain my freedom.
**Roy:** Otherwise, I'll spend my entire life in the woods.
**Me:** ...So, how long have you lived here?
**Roy:** 3241 years and 85 days.
**Me:** ......
**Me:** Well, I'll help you find the Flower of Eternity, and you'll show me the way out. Deal?
*Roy finally looks at me. I read uncertainty, doubt, and... anticipation in his eyes.*
*Just as I grow self-conscious in his gaze, he begins speaking.*
**Roy:** Right.

### Transcript

*To be honest, I don't believe a word he said about the Flower of Eternity or living here for 3000 years.*
*But, seeing Roy's solemn expression, I decide to go along with this act.*
*After all, I have to rely on him to get out of here. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to get out on my own.*
**Me:** What a pity...
**Roy:** What are you talking about?
*Roy turns around unexpectedly. I quickly wave my hand.*
**Me:** N-Nothing.
*But soon I realize I was totally mistaken.*
*Deep in the woods, I see an abundance of flowers, their petals magically shimmering.*
*Little fairies with wings fly from one flower to the next. A deer even gives me a flower wreath.*
*Only one thought enters my mind while I am immersed in this incredible sight:*
**Me:** (If everything I see is true, perhaps his words are also true...)
**Roy:** Let's keep going.
*Under Roy's guidance, we walk through the forest and arrive at a valley.*
*The leaves are rustling in the wind, and the lake is shimmering with sparkling ripples.*
*In a trance, Roy comes to a halt on his path and stares at the lake.*
**Me:** Hey, what's wrong?
**Roy:** I ran into her right there.
**Me:** Who?
**Roy:** The person with whom I made a bet.
**Me:** She seems to be important to you. What is she like?
*After a long pause, Roy finally breaks the silence.*
**Roy:** She is a deity.
*Roy's gaze travels through the undulating valleys into the distance, his eyes filled with longing.*
**Me:** Do you have feelings for her? What kind of deity is she? Why did you take a bet?\
**Roy:** ......
**Roy:** You talk too much.
*His remark puts an end to my queries. Out of boredom, I begin to glance around.*
**Me:** Aren't we going to find the Flower of Eternity? All we do is stand here and do nothing... Huh? What is that?
*On the cliff across from us, something shimmers with crystalline hues in the sunlight.*

### Transcript

**Roy:** That's... the Flower of Eternity?
**Me:** The Flower of Eternity is right there? It's not hard to find at all.
**Me:** After all this time, how could you possibly miss it?
**Roy:** ......
*The flower is perched on a cliff and is difficult to reach.*
*Roy and I are carefully ascending the cliff while clinging to vines and treading on boulders.*
*I lose my footing and plunge downward. The vines snap in half.*
*As the wind blows by my ears and I am about to embrace death, I am caught by a hand.*
*A warm embrace wraps around me.*
*I can discern the aroma of grass. When I open my eyes, I see Roy in front of me.*
*Then I feel a sharp pain, and the water of the lake floods my mouth and nose, quickly submerging me...*
**Roy:** Are you awake?
*As I open my eyes, a deer is licking the wet hair on my head. Roy is sitting by me and stirring the bonfire.*
*I sneeze as the wind blows on my wet clothes.*
**Roy:** Go change.
**Me:** Huh?
*Roy disregards my confusion and hands me a long dress.*
*When illuminated by the moon, the dress takes on the illusion of a shimmering, rippling lake.*
*This fabric is the smoothest and the shiniest I've ever seen.*
*When I unfold the dress, the scent of flowers greets me. It has clearly been preserved with care.*
**Me:** What a stunning dress! Where did you...
**Roy:** Just go change.
**Me:** ......
**Me:** (An elegant and simple look complements the dress nicely.)
### Styling requirements

Tips: Elegant and simple outfit

Main style: , Sub style:

### Transcript

The dress is a perfect fit for me. This texture caresses every inch of my skin with a sense of déjà vu.

Me: How did you get such a dress? It seems to have been with you for quite some time.

Me: Oddly, it fits me like it was made specifically for me.

Roy: ...This was her dress.

Me: Who?

As I speak, I walk toward the lake to examine my reflection in this dress.

Roy: The deity, with whom I made a bet.

In the tranquil lake, a reflection of a figure can be seen.

She is resplendent in a long dress, riding a carriage drawn by deer, and wielding a bow.

The reflection appears both familiar and alien. Is it me? But not entirely.

When I rub my eyes, the reflection fades away.

Me: (It's probably an illusion.)

As I turn around, I see Roy approaching from behind, half kneeling with his hand out.

He now has a set of deer antlers atop his head, and his crystal eyes shine in the setting sun.

Me: What are you...

Roy: I can reclaim my freedom if I find the Flower of Eternity. This is a part of the bet.

Roy: The other half is that if she finds the flower, she will become my master.

The Flower of Eternity bursts in his palm, with countless petals shooting out.

Roy: I hate to say it, but you are now my master.

### Investigation

Me: So you're a deer? And the deity you mentioned... Is it the legendary Huntress?

* Me: And you're the sacred deer that ran away?
* Roy nods, his antlers shimmering.

Me: You found the Flower of Eternity a long time ago. But you didn't pick it because of the bet, right?

* Me: But why did you select me?
* Me: It's all a dream, right?
* Roy is utterly silent. He just stares at me, as if waiting for something.

### Transcript (cont.)

I rub my eyes, then open them again. Roy still stands in front of me with his hand out and his eyes on me.

I tentatively extend my hand. When my finger brushes against his palm...

The Flower of Eternity has transformed into a myriad of petals and vanished into my palm.

Me: What is going on?!

Roy takes my hand and draws a circle in my palm with his finger, leaving a glowing trace.

Roy: This is our pact.

I'm dumbfounded as I look at my palm.

Then I hear a familiar voice behind me.

???: There you are, [Player]!

### Transcript

When I turn around, Roy's face is all sweaty and anxious as he looks at me.

Me: Roy? How did you...

He runs toward me, looks me up and down against the sunlight, and exhales after ensuring that I'm fine.

Roy: What are you doing here?

Me: I took a wrong turn, and then I met... Huh? Where did he go?

I turn back and see that Roy with the deer antlers is no longer there.

However, the campfire is still silently burning with sporadic crackling sounds.

A flower somehow appears in my palm, just like the Flower of Eternity growing on the cliff.

Roy: Who's there?

Me: Nothing. Let's go back.

Over dinner, the tour guide begins telling the tale of the Huntress and the sacred deer again.

Tour Guide: The Huntress caught all save one female deer. She plunged into the raging river and vanished into the woods.

Me: No, it was a male deer, not a female one.

My disruption seems to have caught the tour guide's attention.

Tour Guide: But in the myth, it was female. How do you know it was male?

Me: Because I saw it.

Everyone bursts out laughing. Only Roy seems solemn.

Me: Why are you not laughing?

Roy: Although you are constantly daydreaming, I cannot rule out the possibility that what you said is true.

Roy: Myths, after all, cannot be proven false.

Me: How can you accuse me of daydreaming? According to my myth, I could be your master.

Me: See this flower? This is the proof.

I smile at Roy as I show him the Flower of Eternity. Roy looks at me as if he's in a daze.

I'm about to withdraw my hand when I notice Roy is not responding. But Roy immediately extends a hand.

He takes the Flower of Eternity out of my hand and makes a circle with his index finger on my palm.

It's as if I've been teleported back by the lake, and Roy gradually overlaps with the boy with the antlers.

Roy smiles and whispers to my ear as I freeze in place:

Roy: Yes, master.