Where the Eyes Opened
[Welcome back to the world of stars.]
Wait.
Who are you?
Welcome to the world of stars...?
What are you talking about?
And...
What do you mean [welcome back]...?
I tried to shout toward the faintly lingering voice of the girl through the darkness, but no sound came out.
All that remained was a feeling of endlessly falling through darkness.
I don't know how long I had been falling.
Or perhaps I had been rising.
After an eternity, or perhaps it was just a fleeting moment, I could no longer distinguish between the two—
I could hear her voice again.
...out.
...What?
...ch out.
Watch out!
?!
...Woah?!
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the middle of a bustling street.
A large truck sped by, narrowly missing me.
Hey, idiot! What are you doing in the middle of the street?!
A horse-drawn carriage pulled up next to the truck, and the driver shouted at the truck.
Watch where you're driving! You cart-pullers act like you own the road!
What...
...is going on?
Perhaps I was still dreaming. I closed my eyes and opened them again, but the scene in front of me didn't changed.
While I was still in a daze, the truck driver and the carriage driver grew more heated, drawing a crowd around us.
You okay? You hurt?
Let's step out for now.
Someone grabbed my hand and led me out of the street.
...Thanks—
As I turned my head to offer my thanks, what I saw was...
Alright, looks like you're not hurt.
The one standing there was...
...a girl with the familiar face.
The girl who asked if I liked stars.
Oh, you are!
Hmm?
Oh? Do you know me?
I... brought you here...?
Well, yes I did lead you here.
From the road to this alley...
Hmm, I wasn't exactly expecting thanks, but...
This is not what I expected.
Well, no matter.
My name is Asherah.
I'm going to become someone as great as the [Star Savior], so remember the name!
And mention it if you need to put in a quest!
Star Savior...? Quest...?
I learned that the girl's name was Asherah, but aside from that, there was a lot I didn't know.
Now that I let you know my name, you should tell me yours too.
What's your name?
For some reason, I couldn't remember my name right away.
How could that be? How could I not remember my own name?
My name... My name is...
...Captain.
My name is... Captain.
Through foggy memories, I was able to speak out my name.
...Hey, you okay? You don't look too good.
And you were spacing out in the street too. You almost got caught in an accident.
...Hey, you're sweating bullets!
Maybe it was the series of sudden events, but a strong daze came over me.
Oh dear, I better have you sit down for a bit.
Just as she did earlier, Asherah grabbed my hand and led me somewhere.
Hmm...
This is troubling.
...Troubling.
We sat in a cafe and I talked about my current situation with Asherah.
The fact that I was from a whole another place.
That I met a girl who looked exactly like Asherah in the middle of the night, and that she brought me here.
And that I had no idea where I was.
And...
Amnesia... That's not good.
Most of my memories were hazy, as if they were buried in fog.
The house I lived in, the school I went to, my parents' names or faces...
Surely they were memories I should have, yet for some reason, they wouldn't come to mind.
The only memories that remained clear were those of meeting Asherah and the memory of her calling me to this place.
Hmm... Don't worry too much!
I'm not sure if Candle Square would take on a quest about memory loss...
But they won't just ignore you.
Candle Square...?
Yeah, I was just on my way there.
Truth is... I made a big deal introducing myself earlier, but...
I'm not actually an officially registered Savior with NOA yet...
But! I was on my way to register!
As soon as I complete my Savior registration, I'll post your quest and take it on right away.
Yup, that will work! Good!
I had no idea what was good or what being a Savior even meant, but...
I had no choice but to follow her for now.
Let's see... go straight from here... Then... take a right?
Ah, no. We should've gone through that alley...
...Agh, This isn't the way...
...I could feel the panic rising in Asherah voice.
A-he-hem!
It's... been a while since I visited [Nebula City NOA]...!
And my hometown isn't nearly as complicated as this!
So... umm... the weather's good today, and...
If we keep walking... it will help jog your memories!
So uh, just a bit more...
You don't know NOA? That's—
Oh, right! You said you lost your memories. Still, this isn't something anyone from Lavistar could forget...
Strictly speaking, NOA isn't the name of the city. It's the name of the organization that manages Saviors.
It's an organization founded by the Grand Witch Alicia, a companion of the Star Savior who saved the world long ago.
The official name is the Nebula Observation Agency, NOA for short.
They observe the movement of stars to foresee future disasters or invasions from the Void...
While managing Saviors across Lavistar, guiding them to unite their strengths and fight against the Void Force.
This place used to be a small village in the middle of a desolate plain when everything was destroyed by the Void Star in the past...
But over time, personnel and auxiliary organizations gathered around NOA, causing it to gradually grow into a city.
And so, people started calling this city NOA as well.
Maybe it was because I heard a detailed explanation from Asherah.
I'm sure that I know nothing about this place—the [Nebula City NOA] that Asherah talked about.
It's only normal.
But for some reason, as I walked around more and more with Asherah...
Corners of the city started to feel strangely familiar.
As if, I already knew this place.
...Asherah?
Why don't we take this alley?
Where? This way?
Oh, we're here!
Just like you said, Captain...
Mmm! Could it be that you lived in NOA before you lost your memory?
No, that's not it.
One thing I'm sure of is that the place I'm from isn't here.
But all the anxiety from suddenly regaining consciousness in an unfamiliar place...
It's quickly fading away for some reason.