The sun shone into Lolo's room, its light piercing her eyes causing her to stir awake.
Slowly, she began to open her eyes. She got up and looked around her room. It was small, quiet, and had a nice open view of the river that runs through La-Lakoosha. She was always thankful for the home she lived in.
As she scratched the back of her head and slowly recovered from her sleepy addled mind, she remembered something important. Her eyes widened.
"The Priestess Ceremony! I'm going to be late!"
She tried to get out of bed only to get caught in the bed sheets and fall onto the floor.
"Owww…"
Quickly, she got up, got ready, put her clothes and priestess hat on and ran downstairs. She noticed her grandmother wasn't in her chair like she usually was. She was already on her way to the ceremony.
She made her way out the front door and saw a yellow dog-like creature standing outside. He had a frustrated expression in his face as he stared at her with his green window paned like eyes.
"What took you so long? We gotta get goin'!"
"Sorry Popka. I overslept!"
"C'mon! Let's go!"
The two began to run as fast as they could towards the temple. Down the path, alongside the river, and eventually through town.
The kingdom of La-Lakoosha was once a relatively quiet place where only La-Laooshans like Lolo lived, but in the past couple of years, the kingdom boomed with visitors and new residents from the surrounding kingdoms of Lunatea.
The sheep like inhabitants from Joilant were performing shows out in the town plaza, the once violent and war hungry people of the City of Volk brought technology to the other kingdoms, and the once isolated rabbit like inhabitants from Mira-Mira were presenting and selling their art.
"Wow, hard to believe this place was so quiet before." Popka chimed.
"Yeah…" Lolo quietly said.
Before, the kingdoms were all isolated from one another and willingly chose not to interact with each other. That was until two years ago when everything changed.
Two years ago…
…
Not now, she thought as she and Popka made their way to the Priestess Temple.
Eventually, they made it to the entrance where an old woman was waiting for them.
"There you are Lolo!" She said as she gave her usual warm smile.
"I'm sorry Grandmother! I overslept! Am I late?"
"No no. You're just in time! Quickly now, go inside and prepare!"
Lolo nodded, but before she went inside, her grandmother quickly said,
"I'm so proud of you Lolo."
Lolo smiled.
"Yes! Thank you!"
As Lolo went inside, she saw the other priestesses gathered on the other end of the hall and went over to them. In the center was an old woman with a tall purple hat with a staff.
The High Priestess.
She gazed towards Lolo, her usually tired eyes raised up.
"Ah. You've made it."
"I'm so sorry I couldn't make it sooner!"
She shook her head.
"No, it's alright. Now, let us prepare."
She turned away and headed towards the back. The other priestesses began to light the candles set around the room. One of them came up to Lolo.
"Hey. Listen. I…"
She began wringing her hands.
Lolo turned her head to the side in slight confusion.
"I just want to say… I'm sorry for calling you a failure. You've really proved all of us wrong."
Lolo couldn't help but smile.
"It's alright. Thank you very much."
Years ago, Lolo was teased and put down for failing to become a priestess multiple times. She tried her best to persevere through it, but it felt hopeless. It was nice to see one of them apologizing for what they did. It really felt like she came a long way since then.
The priestess bowed and went back to helping set the ceremony. Lolo had to prepare as well.
Soon, the temple was crowded by the denizens of La-Lalookasha. Including Popka and Lolo's grandmother. Lolo was brought up to the altar and awaited the High Priestess. After a session of prayer to the Mother Goddess Claire, the High Priestess came up to Lolo and began her speech.
"Today, we are here to welcome… or should I say… re-welcome a new priestess into our fold."
She turned to Lolo.
"You have grown much since you first began your training Lolo. On your quest to save our world alongside the Dream Traveler, you took on the sacred role of Priestess in order to help him."
Yes. Lolo was a priestess once before, with the help of the power of the Dream Traveler's ring she was able to ring one of the Spirit Bells and was able to become a priestess. Initially, she felt proud of her accomplishment. However, she felt guilt for using the traveler's power for her own ends and felt like a fraud for gaining the title in such a way. She ended up coming face to face with those fears during their travels in Mira Mira.
"Once your duty was finished however, you've gracefully given up your title in order to acquire it by your own will. Very few would express such integrity."
Lolo remembered the day she decided to give up her title. It was a sunny day… She and her dream traveler friend were staring out at the Kingdom of Sorrow that had emerged from the ocean.
The High Priestess smiled.
"And now, it is with great honor, that I grant you the rank and responsibilities of a priestess."
She told him how she intended to become a priestess through her own power and that she would never give up. Even if she failed. And he told her that she could do it. He knew she could.
…
He knew she could…
The High Priestess raised her staff and a bright light appeared and floated down to Lolo's hat.
And then…
The light formed a green feather on the side of her hat. A symbol of her new rank. She received the feather before, only this time, she truly earned it.
Everyone in the temple cheered.
"Way to go Lolo!" Popka shouted.
Lolo touched the green feather and looked at the crowd. She saw her grandmother crying tears of joy and her best friend jumping up and down waving his arms around. She did it, she finally achieved her goal. She smiled.
But… Just as soon as she did, her smile disappeared. Something didn't feel right.
She continued remembering. She remembered having to say goodbye.
Tears began to form in Lolo's eyes. It was all so overwhelming. But not in the way that she thought. All this time, she finally got what she wanted. That she… used to have wanted.
None of this mattered. None of it. Not if he wasn't there to see her right now.
"Ah…"
Lolo began to cry.
The High Priestess, with her kind and understanding smile, slowly hugged Lolo.
Lolo continued to cry. The cheering went on. But it felt so far away.
Later that day, Lolo walked up to the ledge overlooking the ocean. And the Kingdom of Sorrow.
This was the place where he said goodbye. Two long years ago.
She still remembered the feeling of hugging him. Holding on to him really tight and not wanting to let go of him. She couldn't bear to see him leave. Not after everything they've been through together. Not after realizing her feelings towards him.
But he had to go. For that was part of his job as a Dream Traveler, once he fixed everything, he had to leave. To where? No one knew.
Before he left, he told her that "As long as she never forgets the sadness of this moment, they'll always be together".
She never did forget. But she still felt longing for him. If only she could see him again. Show him that she finally achieved her goal on her own.
She took off her hat and stared at the green feather.
…
No… Not on her own. At least, not in a sense. While he was no longer there to help her, the thoughts and memories of him gave her the strength and determination to achieve her goal to become a priestess.
"Klonoa…"
She looked up into the bright blue sky.
"I want to see you again…"
She closed her eyes as tears began pouring down her face.
"Please… Come back…"
"You really miss him. Don't you?"
Lolo jumped. She turned around and saw a familiar face.
Leorina, or Leo. Once an enemy of Lolo and Klonoa, she has since returned to her old ways as a priestess. She was leaning on the tree overlooking the ocean, looking at Lolo with sharp but understanding eyes.
"Leo. I… I didn't know you were here."
"No, I just got here. We didn't see you after the ceremony was over, so I came to check on you."
Lolo placed her hat back on, then rubbed her arm sheepishly.
"I'm sorry. Didn't mean to make you all worry."
Leo shook her head with a slight smile.
"Don't worry about it. We all agreed never to deny sorrow again right?"
Lolo smiled and nodded.
Leo then stared out in the distance, towards the Kingdom of Sorrow.
"To think, if you guys didn't stop me, this world would be a very different place."
Lolo turned her head towards where Leo is looking.
"Yeah…"
Lolo suddenly realized what she said.
"Oh, but you've changed a lot since then! You helped bring everybody back together!"
"Ha ha, don't worry Lolo. I've made peace with it all."
They both smiled and continued to look off into the distance.
Some time passed. Only the sounds of the wind, birds and the ocean waters crashing against the sea wall could be heard.
Lolo finally spoke.
"There… really hasn't been a day where I didn't think about him."
Lolo looked down towards the ground.
"I… even developed feelings for him. Which made saying goodbye even harder."
Leo chuckled.
"I remember Tat telling me how back in Joilant, she told Klonoa about how girls didn't like pesky boys. And you jumped in his defense and told her "So what if he's pesky? I like him just fine!" Then you realized what you said and your face turned really red."
Lolo blushed slightly.
"Like that!"
Leo laughed for a little bit then sighed.
"Really though, who could blame you?"
She went over and placed her hand on Lolo's shoulder.
"I'm sure if things were different, you two would be very happy together."
Lolo smiled.
"Thank you Leo."
Some more time passed in silence. The two continued to look into the distance.
"Well, I should probably go back home now. Grandmother might be worried about me by now."
"Mmm hmm. Take care."
As Lolo walked past Leo and made her way down the path, Leo turned to Lolo.
"Hey, Lolo."
"Yes?"
A couple of moments passed. Leo looked deep in thought.
"What if I told you… I could find a way for you to see him again?"
Lolo's eyes widened.
"W-what do you mean?"
"Well… seeing as how I was able to create a copy of Klonoa's ring, I think I could find some way to help you find him in one of the other dreams he goes to."
Lolo wasn't sure what to say.
"I…"
The thought of reuniting with Klonoa again… It was very appealing to her. But, what would she say? Would she have to leave her old life behind? Would she have to say goodbye again? Many questions flowed inside her head.
Finally, she said,
"You'd do that for me?"
Leo nodded.
"You two saved me. It's the least I can do for you. Plus, the nature of dream travelers and their origins has fascinated me for a very long time. I would like to know the truth myself one day, and… perhaps somehow, we could find him again."
Her expression became serious.
"Before we can do that though. You need to be trained."
Lolo was taken aback.
"Trained?!"
"We don't know what else is out there. The journey to find him could be a very perilous one. And while you are a great priestess, you'll need to do more than that if you want to deal with whatever we come across."
"But how?"
Leo smiled.
"Luckily for you, I kept the data on Klonoa's ring. I could make a copy for you and even teach you how to fight and move around. I was a Sky Pirate after all."
Lolo became lost in thought. She only just completed her training to become a priestess. To take on even more training? To take on the ways of the Sky Pirate? She never imagined something like that happening.
"I know it's a lot to take in. I'll give you as much time as you need to think about…"
"No."
"Hmm?"
Lolo became filled with determination. She looked straight into Leo's eyes.
"I'll do it!"
And thus began Lolo's training. Alongside her journey in search of Klonoa.