Village of the Dead
Yukata Cassandra: (Wait. This preternatural sensation... Ah! These people must be—!)
Old Lady: Something wrong, child? You have the gravest look on your face.
Yukata Cassandra: I'm just a bit lightheaded. Can you tell me when the festival begins?
Villager: After sundown, of course. You can't enjoy the lanterns till after dark, love.
Yukata Cassandra: Lanterns?
Old Lady: Sure, the festival's famous for 'em! Isn't that what you've come to see?
Yukata Cassandra: Ah, yes, of course. It would seem the long trip here has taken a toll on my memory.
Old Lady: Oh, you poor thing. You're welcome to rest a spell at my home, if you like.
Yukata Cassandra: That is terribly kind of you, ma'am, but I think I'll putter around the village a bit before the festival begins.
Yukata Cassandra: (The dead ordinarily return to mana and flow across the world. But this...)
Yukata Cassandra: (In rare cases, the soul cannot come to terms with death and instead lingers in the place where its body passed on.)
Female Villager: You forgot the dinner I packed you, sweetheart. Good luck with the festival setup.
Girl: You liar! You promised we'd always, ALWAYS watch the lanterns together!
Village Girl: Again, I already said I was sorry. I just can't make it this year, okay?
Yukata Cassandra: (The ebb and flow of daily life— the same as you'd see in any town. But everyone here is...)
Yukata Cassandra: (It is said that the dead resent the living. If these people learn that I'm alive—)
Traveler: Y-you there. You're not one of the villagers. Are you, er...real?
Yukata Cassandra: I'm guessing you wandered in here too?
Traveler: Oh, thank heavens! I was resting in this abandoned house I found, and when I awoke, I was here, among all these people. Then that THING attacked me!
Traveler: P-please, you've gotta help me. I just want to go home! Please!
Yukata Cassandra: Sorry, dearie, but I don't think that's going to happen. You're already—
Villager: Now, now. What's all the commotion here?
Traveler: Y-you! Get me out of here! I beg you!
Old Lady: Poor soul. I think the heat's gotten to him. Come, love. Rest awhile.
Villager: I'll take him to my house. It's right on the river, so it stays nice and cool.
Traveler: N-no! Stay away from me!
Villager: Aww, don't be shy. If you're too tired to walk, we'll carry you there.
Traveler: Stop! N-no, let go! LET ME GOOO!
Old Lady: The heat always drives folks a little batty. Sure you don't need to come rest as well?
Yukata Cassandra: No, I'm quite all right.
Yukata Cassandra: As I thought. Some sort of barrier is blocking my means of egress.
Yukata Cassandra: It's safe to assume this place is a manifestation of these people's collective memory, fueled by their regret at passing.
Yukata Cassandra: If what I've read is true, there's only one way out.
Yukata Cassandra: I must ease their regret and guide them back to the source of mana where they belong. First, to discern the cause...
Yukata Cassandra: ...Whoever is watching, I can feel your eyes on me.
Yukata Cassandra: Hm. They're gone. Hopefully that doesn't mean they've realized I'm alive.
Old Lady: Is that a weary festival-goer I spy?
Yukata Cassandra: Hello, ma'am. I grew tired from my stroll, so I'm just resting in the shade a bit.
Old Lady: Really, now. You should follow me, then. I have just the thing.
Yukata Cassandra: (Was she the one watching me? Those weren't the footsteps of an elderly woman.)
Old Lady: Are you listening, dear? Don't tell me the heat's sapped your hearing, too.
Yukata Cassandra: (For now, I need to avoid arousing any suspicion.)
Female Villager: There. A nice, frosty flagon of grape juice. We make it every year. There's plenty, so just holler if you'd like more.
Old Lady: This drink's a festival tradition, you know.
Yukata Cassandra: I really shouldn't, but thank you.
Female Villager: It's the village's pride and joy. Surely a little taste wouldn't hurt.
Yukata Cassandra: (I can't let this past my lips...)
Old Lady: Come, come. Bottoms up, love. Or is there some reason you don't want to?
Yukata Cassandra: (I've read the legends. Sup upon the offerings of the dead, and you'll be unable to return to the realm of the living.)
Old Lady: You're a strange one, even for a stranger. Could you be—
Yukata Cassandra: ......
Village Girl: Eek!
Village Girl: S-sorry. Somebody pushed me from behind.
Village Girl: Oh no! I got juice all over your pretty clothes! I'm so sorry!
Yukata Cassandra: Worry not. I just need to wash it before it dries. Can you point me to some water?
Village Girl: The village well is just over there.
Yukata Cassandra: That will do nicely, thank you.
Yukata Cassandra: Phew. That was close.
Yukata Cassandra: But I can't let my guard down. I need to find what's become of Douleur, too.
Village Girl: Um... I'm really sorry about before, ma'am.
Yukata Cassandra: Oh, it's you. Don't worry, dearie. I'm not upset in the slightest.
Village Girl: But you were planning to show that yukata to your boyfriend, weren't you?
Yukata Cassandra: My boyfriend? Now what would make you think that?
Village Girl: The way you're all done up, of course! I'm a romantic too, so I've got a sense for this sort of thing.
Yukata Cassandra: Heh heh... Sorry to disappoint you, but this raven is flying solo today.
Village Girl: Well, that's a shame. Oh, that's right! I wanted to offer you my handkerchief to clean up.
Yukata Cassandra: Much appreciated, dearie.
Yukata Cassandra: Folded crisp and even... She must have been quite the fastidious little girl in life.
Yukata Cassandra: Mm? Something fell out when I unfolded it. A...torn scrap?
Yukata Cassandra: Wait. What?!
This village is trapped in a tragedy 40 years past. Please help us.
Yukata Cassandra: A message? What's more, this paper...
Yukata Cassandra: The page is infused with mana. This was a piece of Douleur!
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