Disclaimer: Post-Solstice. Oneshot (game) does not belong to me.
The player's name is represented by [Player]. (Feel free to put in your own name while reading.)
A/N: this was written really hastily in about two hours since I'm studying for my finals. Will revisit this and make many edits later!
A/N 2: The morse code part was making no sense (maybe ate some parts up?) so it was deleted. There probably won't be any more edits following this.
To Niko, a dream. Like thousands of other dreams.
-The World Machine
Dreams are fickle things. One moment, they are vivid, sharp, clear as crystal. You feel the sun shining in your face, the wind whipping around you, the ground firm beneath your feet. One moment it is all too real, then it is gone.
When Niko found themselves standing among the familiar – yet long-forgotten – golden stalks of wheat, they wept. In joy, yes, for they had returned to the home they had longed to see. But also in sadness, for by returning to one world, they had left another behind, one they would never be able to return to. The dark world had kept them trapped, bearing a burden too heavy for a child to hold alone . . .
. . . yet, they didn't have to bear it alone. There were people who helped them on their pilgrimage. Some Niko would even call friends, though the time they had spent together was short, and perhaps not in the brightest of circumstances. Their faces now flitted across Niko's mind. Miss Silver. Calamus. Alula. Prototype, Cedric, and Rue. And . . . the 'god'. [Player]. Although Niko never got to know what they looked like, [Player] had guided them through their many trials, and kept them company constantly. Without them, Niko thought they would not have been able to cope with being in a strange world, all alone.
All these people Niko met, but would never be able to see again.
However, as Niko's teary eyes fell upon a smiling figure of a woman in a yellow apron, smiling with her arms spread wide, all of it didn't matter anymore. As Niko broke into a run, the memories became dimmer and dimmer, vanishing as Niko leapt, laughing and crying, into the warm embrace of her mother.
All was well.
"Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes!"
Niko happily waved goodbye to their friends, and started to jog back to their house. School had ended a few hours ago, and Niko had been playing with their friends outside. They hadn't noticed the time go by so quickly, and the sun was already setting in the distance. Niko's mom had just called them that it was getting late.
Niko took a turn and came upon the village wheat field. It was late autumn, and the wheat were laden with ripe grain. The setting sun bathed the wheat field, setting it ablaze in golden light. A strong gust of wind blew across the expanse, causing the plants to crest and fall, like big waves. It looked like a golden ocean.
It's like an ocean . . . of food!
Niko's mind said. Niko frowned. It was nearing harvest time, and the wheat was certainly going to be food for them and all the villagers, but Niko had to wonder why that phrase seemed so familiar.
Niko stood there for a moment, taking in the sight. It was beautiful, for sure, but all the yellow moving about in a similar pattern was more than a little disorienting. Feeling suddenly dizzy, Niko averted their eyes to the ground.
Right in front of their feet, in between a small crack in the road, was a tiny, black clover.
Niko froze, staring at the small plant. It was nothing special, really. Clovers were a common weed, growing in large clumps anywhere they could. But Niko couldn't seem to take their eyes off of this one. They slowly crouched down and carefully held the stem, examining the three leaves. Yes, nothing special about them, except this one was somehow black. As far as Niko remembered, clovers were usually green, but some plants did seem to have different colors now and then, so this was nothing unusual. But still, Niko couldn't shake off a strange feeling. It just felt . . . special.
Hastily getting onto both knees, Niko dug their fingers into the crack. It hurt – the crack was only a few centimeters wide, and the jagged edges of the concrete road dug into their flesh. But Niko didn't pay it much heed. They felt that they just had to take this plant with them.
Eventually, Niko was able to free most of the clover's roots. Their hands hurt, and their knees were sore from kneeling on hard pavement for so long, but Niko happily cradled the small plant in their hand and ran back to their home.
"What took you so long – " Niko's mother gasped. "Niko! Why are your clothes all dirty? Did you trip and fall down? You have dirt on your hands, too!" Niko shook their head. "No, it's fine! I didn't fall down, mom. I was just – doing something." Niko held out their hand. "Look! It's a black clover! Have you ever seen a black one before?" She peered at the clover. "No, I haven't. But what are you going to do with that?" Niko frowned. "I don't know . . . I just saw it and thought it was special." Their mom patted Niko's shoulder. "Well, dinner's ready, so do whatever you want with it, and come eat! The others are waiting for you, so come quickly!" Niko smiled, and started heading to their room. "And don't forget to wash your hands!" Their mom called after them.
Niko walked into their room and sat on their bed. They then looked at the clover in their hands. Niko didn't know why they wanted to bring this clover with them, but leaving it there, alone in the middle of the barren, concrete road seemed wrong. Looking up, Niko spotted a pot on the windowsill filled with dirt. There had been a flower in there at one point, but they had forgotten to water it and it had long since wilted away. They hadn't bothered to plant anything else in there or put the pot away yet. Niko smiled. Perfect.
Every day, Niko would glance at the potted clover on the windowsill. Looking at the clover often filled Niko with a sense of nostalgia. Sometimes, Niko would be hit by a pang of sadness, and they would cry for hours and hours, and when their mother asked, they could never answer why.
But, although the clover brought tears to their eyes and wracked their heart with pain, Niko could never bring themselves to throw it out.
And sometimes, when the sun was especially bright, Niko thought they could see the leaves of the clover shine blue, green, and red. Sometimes, after coming home in a bad mood, seeing the clover brought a smile to their face.
Niko never found out why, on that day, they decided to bring the clover home.
I . . . promise I'll never forget this world!
Nonetheless . . .
I promise . . . I'll never forget you too, [Player].
In the darkest of days, it reminded Niko of a bright light. It reminded Niko that, even when it seemed as if the very Sun was snuffed out, and the whole world was engulfed in darkness . . .
Goodbye, [Player] . . .
. . . there was always hope.