Author's Notes: This story is kind of my own direct sequel to Rune Factory 3. It's set in the same town, but years after the events of the game. However, as I'm writing this story, I'm also thinking about how it could function as a game, so any parts where the "player" could make gameplay choices will be pointed out in the "Author's Notes" at the end of the chapter it appears in (no, this does not mean you readers can choose how the story progresses). Also, this story will always be in the viewpoint of the protagonist.
Disclaimer: I don't own Rune Factory or any of its characters, just the characters unique to this story.
Chapter 1: Waking Up
"Hey..." I heard a voice call to me. It was the voice of a young man, but I didn't recognize it. "Come on, wake up.", the voice called again. I slowly opened my eyes to see a young man looking at me. He had blonde hair with long bangs on each side of his face, and the back of his hair looked like it was blown by the wind and held in place. Judging by his clothes, he looked like a farmer. As he saw me wake up, he smiled.
"Good, you're awake.", he said, "My wife found you passed out in front of the house, so she brought you in here." "... You mean Shara?", I asked. "That's right.", he said in a cheerful voice, but he immediately realized something, "Wait, how did you know? I'm pretty sure you're not from around here." "H-Huh? ... Good question.", I replied. I tried to think about it, but I just couldn't remember. "Hmm... By the way, my name's Micah. What's yours?", he asked me. I tried to recall my name, but...
"I... I can't remember.", I said, taking him by surprise. "You can't... remember? Could it be...", he started. Just then, a woman with orange hair wearing a pink and green dress walked in. "Hey, sweetie.", Micah said. I figured she must be his wife, Shara. "Oh, is he awake?", Shara asked. "Yeah, he is.", Micah said, "But I think he developed amnesia, like I did when you found me. He can't remember his own name." "That's rough.", Shara said, "If we don't know anything about him, then how are we gonna help him?"
"Well, maybe he can stay in town for a bit?", Micah said, "Hasn't the new tree grown enough to be livable?" "New tree?", I asked. "Ah, yeah.", Micah said, "The house we're in was actually made inside of a giant tree called the Sharance Tree. It's basically the town's symbol, and it became my home when I wound up here, and a new tree was planted for the town's expansion." "I see... But wouldn't building a house inside a tree cause it to stop growing?", I asked. "Not with these particular trees.", Micah said, "The houses are actually made by the trees themselves."
"M-Made by the trees themselves?!", I asked in surprise. "Yep.", Micah said, "So the other tree must already have a home for you to stay in." "I-I see... It's a bit strange, but I suppose that's a good idea.", I said, "Thank you very much." "I'll have to ask grandpa if it's okay.", Shara said, "Honey, can you show him where it is?" "Sure thing.", Micah said. "Thank you.", Shara said. She then left the way she came in. "Well then, let's get going.", Micah said. I nodded and got off the bed, following Micah through the front door.
*To Be Continue*
Author's Notes: Okay, so, first, starting a new save would ask if you owned Rune Factory 3, and saying yes would allow you to sync up the data from RF3 into this game. If synced up with a RF3 save file, Micah's name and wife would match the RF3 save file it synced with. There are other things syncing affects too, but I'll go over those when they appear. If you did not sync up the game, however, the player can choose who Micah is married to after Micah mentions that his wife brought the unconscious protagonist into the house. The dialogue between Micah and his wife changes depending on who his wife is. For Bachelorettes, everyone who was eligible in RF3, with the exception of whoever Micah married, would be eligible in this game as well, but there will be a small number of additional bachelorettes this time around as well, some of which are characters from RF3 and others are characters I made myself. Oh, and one last thing for now, unlike Rune Factory 1~4/Frontier/Tides of Destiny, the protagonist of this game would be an avatar that's customized upon starting a new game, even choosing gender, which means yes, there are bachelors as well, but this story will use a male avatar.