James was running in a flat plain. There were explosions left and right. He was holding an assault rifle wearing futuristic armor. He and his team had to breach the entrance of the enemy bunker to set a foothold in the enemy territory. As he ran, James started to feel anxiety. He knew that death can happen now if a sniper or an artillery shell hits him by luck. When he and his team breached the bunker, he was then assigned wirelessly to eliminate the inhabitants manning the bunker. As the smoke cleared, James found himself in shock; the inhabitants were his friends in Stardew Valley wearing uniforms. As his team fired upon them without hesitation, James started to shed tears as he saw the people he dearly cared about fall down with blood. He couldn't take it. He dropped his rifle, pulled out his pistol and aimed it at his head. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, he heard a chicken.
James woke up immediately flooding the cottage with sweat. It was one of those nightmares. They were becoming more realistic as days passed by. It was his first and a half week in Cerulean Farm, eleventh of Spring and yet his trauma hadn't passed. He wanted to be consulted, but that would mean that he had to spill out the truth. He fell into deep thought once again, only to snap back when he remembered that he had chores to do. He looked outside to find rain tapping on the window. At least he didn't have to water the crops. He brought his umbrella outside and checked his crops. His potatoes were ready. He pulled them out from the soil and put them inside the box beside his cottage. It was his second potato harvest. His cauliflower was almost ripe. For some reason, he had an urge to visit Leah. He hadn't been able to make contact with her ever since she bumped into him. 'Perhaps now is the time…' James thought as he looked at the clock in his cottage. It was 11 o'clock. He walked to the Cindersap Forest and past the ranch. He knocked on the door of the cottage.
"Hello? Oh, come in, James! You're getting soaked!" Leah exclaimed, opening the door.
"Hello, Miss Kjellsten. I wanted to say sorry for what happened a few days back." James replied, coming in the warm cottage.
"Oh, don't be so formal! Just call me by my name! I'm just a year older than you!" Leah responded. James looked around the cottage. The cottage was warm. He could smell apple vinegar across the dining table. There was a fireplace at the right corner with a dozen pastels beside it. In front of the bed was a wooden sculpture. It looked like Leah's most recent project.
"It's a nice place you live in." James complemented.
"It's small, but I like it that way." Leah replied. She saw that James was concentrated of the wooden sculpture. "Oh, that's my newest project!"
"I see!" James remarked, touching the sculpture. It was a loop, but something felt abnormal about it.
"I was trying to reveal the essence of the wood. Once you get past the outer layers, the true nature starts to show! That's my perspective. What about you?" Leah asked.
"Hmmm…" James thought. "I think… it's the same with people! It's just that my true nature is too… painful…" James replied weakly. He realized what he has said. 'Now she's going to look at you like you're some kind of murder witness!' He scolded himself.
"What..? Oh yeah, that's absolutely right!" Leah said. She was smiling, but James didn't feel anything from it. All he was doing was dreading about what he had said. "I visited the valley when I was eleven years old. It looked like the perfect place for blooming art. Although to be honest, just concentrating in art isn't good at paying bills and laying food on my plate…" She continued.
"Hey, why not make an art exhibition in the town square?" James recommended, finally snapping himself back together.
"Hmmm, sounds like a risky move, but interesting." Leah replied after pausing for a bit. James suddenly realized what he came in for. He had been preserving something for at least a week. He took a box out from his bag and handed it to Leah.
"Uh, I want to give you something as compensation." James said. As soon as Leah opened it, a fermented scent escaped. It was kimchi.
"Oh, I love it!" Leah exclaimed. James sighed in relief. He looked outside to find that the rain has stopped and the sun was high up.
"Well, gotta go. See you later." James said, walking to the door.
"Bye, James! Thank you!" Leah waved as James waved back and shut the door.
James thought that it was a good time to visit Sebastian. He walked to Pelican Town and eventually near the abandoned building. He noticed that Mayor Lewis was standing in front of the door. "What a sad sight…" Lewis said to himself.
"What is it, sir?" James asked, approaching the old man.
"This is the Pelican Town Community Center. Well, what's left of it." Lewis replied with a sigh. "You see, it was the pride of our town for at least a century. I remember my father taking me here every day." He remarked.
"What happened to it?" James asked.
"It all happened what the Television became more commercially available. People started to prefer staying in their homes watching their boxes than supporting the community. We finally locked it down when the boiler broke down." Lewis said.
"Oh, that's unfortunate." James said.
"Joja has recently been nagging me to give away the building, but something is urging me to not do so. Heh, perhaps it's an instinct shared by old people." Lewis smirked. James could see that it wasn't real.
"I see. May I see what's inside?" James asked.
"It may not be much, but I guess somebody has to remove your curiosity." Lewis replied, as he fumbled around his pocket for the key. He unlocked the large doors and opened it. The two entered the building. The community center was darker than ever. Although there were broken windows here and there giving out sunlight, the room was still dark nevertheless. The area around them was dusty. James could easily spot the countless cracks and paper all around the place. The building was huge. In fact, it was huge enough to accompany a hut that seemed too small for a man to even enter.
"Hmm? What's this?" Lewis questioned himself looking at the hut. "Huh, Vincent and Jas may have been sneaking around this place. I cannot blame them. Anyway, this place seems more dilapidated than I last entered…" Suddenly, a small green entity popped out of nowhere near the hut. James was startled. It was waving at him.
"Mayor, wh… what was that?!" James shrieked.
"What?" Lewis asked, turning around. The entity immediately vanished. "I don't see anything…" he added. James walked to where the entity once was. He looked around the area, seeing if he could spot it again. Just then, a blue entity popped up next to a fallen bookshelf.
"Th… there! It's whatever the thing is called!" James exclaimed, pointing at entity. It immediately disappeared once again.
"You're starting to worry me, James."Lewis looked, worried. He checked his watch. It was three o'clock. "Oh dear, my oven timer might have ticked off now. Lunchtime. I'll leave this building unlocked. It's not surprising to find rats here." Lewis laughed, exiting the center.
'That's strange… I think I should investigate this place more further.' James thought, wandering around the community center. When he entered what looked like a storage room, he noticing something radiating bright yellow. As he approached, James found out that the source of the light was in fact a golden plate. He picked it up. He noticed that whatever was written, his computer in his optical implant couldn't decipher it. 'Well, that was pointless.' James thought as he dropped the plate on the ground.
When James exited the community center, rain started to pour once again. He opened his umbrella and continued his trek towards the mountain. As he approached the carpenter's shop, he could hear metal colliding with each other. The garage door of the shop was open, revealing a motorcycle with someone working under it. As James entered the garage, the man moved himself motorcycle, revealing himself as Sebastian. His face was covered in black smudges. "Oh, hey James" Sebastian greeted him.
"I never knew you had a motorcycle" James said.
"Oh, I guess I never showed you. In fact, I have no memory of it at all." Sebastian replied. He rolled himself back under his motorcycle and continued his work. "Uh hey, can you get me my screwdriver? It should be on the toolbox." Sebastian requested. James grabbed the screwdriver and slid it under the motorcycle. "Thanks" said Sebastian.
"I've never seen you drive around in it, nor hear any motorized sound." James asked.
"Well, I usually take it for a spin around the valley at very late nights. Usually around 4 AM." Sebastian replied. "It makes me feel like the entire valley is in my hands, especially the wind whipping my face." He added. As James continued conversing with him, Sebastian picked up what looked like a Jerry can and pumped whatever was inside into the motorcycle. "There, the oil is refilled." Sebastian said, standing up.
"You have an interesting life, Seb. It looks like you're enjoying it." James said.
"Well, if you exclude the fact that my stepdad's being a complete douche, I'm fine." Sebastian said, wiping the black smudges off his face with a towel. "I'm saving up to leave this place. Zuzu or Prometheus City looks like my best bets." He added. James heart sank when he said that. He thought that he was already in good relations with the community of Stardew Valley until he found out that one of his friends was planning on leaving.
"You know, it's kind of sad knowing that you'll leave an empty void in some of the people's minds if you leave." James said. He wanted Sebastian to stay. He was too cool.
"Yeah, I know. But I want to experience what true freedom is, James. Haven't you ever wanted to do that?" Sebastian asked. James wanted to say the truth, but he couldn't. He didn't want to be abandoned just because of his Gotoro identity. He had no choice but to lie.
"Yeah, I wanted to feel it when I was working for a stupid corporate job back when I was in Niobius City." James answered. He wanted to punch himself so hard.
"Hey, what's wrong? Are you sad because I want to go?" Sebastian jokingly asked. He seemed to have noticed James's suffering.
"Ah, nothing. I just reminded myself of my grandpa by accident." James replied. "Hey, uh wanna hang out sometime? You know, the usual four. Why not in Sam's house? I'll ask him." James tried to change the subject. He felt that he needed to get out of here fast before Sebastian notices.
"Cool. I can invest my time on that. I sent my programming to by last client a few hours ago. Stupid war." Sebastian confirmed while he lighted a cigarette and put it in his mouth. James turned around, opened his umbrella. Just as he was about to leave, Sebastian stopped him. "Hey, you know, perhaps I can give you a ride on my baby. I think Pelican Town isn't enough to fulfill your satisfaction." He said.
"Sure. Sounds good. See you later." James said, waving. He walked outside the garage and down to the mountain.
When James reached 1 Willow Lane, he opened the door and was greeted by a short child with salmon-colored hair. His name was Vincent Arvidel, the younger brother of Sam. "Hello, Mr. James! My brother's in his room!" He said happily.
"Thanks, little buddy." James replied with a smile to the tyke.
"Vincent, I hope you are ready to go see Doctor Harvey!" said Jodi's voice from the kitchen. Jodi walked out of the kitchen, spotting the young farmer. "Oh, hello James. Are you here to see my elder son?" She asked.
"Yes, ma'am." James replied.
"Make sure you take your shoes off before you come in, James." Jodi said as she opened her umbrella and pushing Vincent out by his shoulder. Even when the door was shut, he could hear cries of rejection from Vincent. It made James laugh for some reason. He took off his shoes and knocked on what looked like Sam's door.
"Come in!" Sam's voice said through the door. When James opened it, he could see Sam playing a song on his acoustic guitar. "Oh, hey James! What's up?" He asked as James closed the door behind him.
"Oh, not much. Just took a trek through the mountains. The rain did my job." James replied with a smile.
"That's nice." Sam replied. "Hey, do you know this song?" he asked playing a song from his smartphone. James had never heard of it before, but it sounded so good.
"I've never heard of it, but it's sounds amazing! What's the name of it?" James asked.
"Oh, it's called Hello Mexico. It's by Sparks the Rescue." Sam replied. "Hey, I have an idea. Do you know how to play one of these?" he asked, pointing at the numerous instruments in his room. Unfortunately, James didn't know how to play any.
"Uh, no. Sorry." James replied with a sigh.
"Oh, that's okay." Sam comforted him. He could see James's sorrow and shame. Something inside Sam told him that his friend needed a hand. "Hey, you know I can teach you how to play the guitar!" Sam said.
"Really?" James asked with a smile on his face. He was more than happy to grab Sam's second acoustic guitar.
"Now, listen and watch carefully." Sam instructed.
James was having a hard time grabbing the proper chords at first, but he started getting better and faster as time passed by. As soon as James felt confident, it was already nine o'clock at night.
"Hey, uh… I better get going. It's getting late." James said, handing the guitar back to Sam.
"Yeah. Bro, I have an idea. I'll let you borrow that guitar for as long as you like." Sam said. It was an undeniable offer.
"I'll take it!" James replied. I'll take great care of it." James promised, waving Sam goodbye before leaving the house. James felt exhausted from all the socialization. When James arrived at his cottage, he decided that he wanted to purchase a gaming console before falling to sleep.
It was the next day. James watered his crops and took a look in his mail. There was one unusually purple letter inside.
Come see me at the western side of the forest. I may have the solution for your rat-problem.
-No need to know my name right now.
As soon as James read the last part of the letter, it vanished in front of his face. "Whoa, what the hell?!" James exclaimed. Everything felt weird. James decided that he wouldn't be socializing today. He instead practiced on his guitar. He purchased an application that helped him learn the guitar and followed its instructions. Next, he searched through a website that sold used items and added a used gaming laptop and a Playstation 4 in his cart. It had a total of 6000 Galleons. It was one sixth of his total savings. When it was 6PM, James decided that it was the best time to meet whoever sent him that vanished letter.
When he entered the western side of Cindersap forest, he saw a strange looking tower beaming up on a cliff. There was a lot of stairs to climb, but it was nothing to James thanks to his cybernetic legs. When he knocked on the door, he could hear a voice with a heavy Russian accent telling him to come in. As he opened the door, he could smell something that didn't seem to belong in planet Earth. The tower was dark inside. In fact, the only sources of light were the two flaming torches and the fire that heated a large cauldron full of shining viscous green liquid. "James Suh. You are the one I have prophesized of you arrival before your birth." Said a man with purple hair and beard. He was wearing a purple robe and cape and was wearing a pointy wizard's hat.
"Who are you?" James asked with a confused look.
"My name is Milosz Rasmodius. I am the Valley's 502nd wizard. The guardian of the 7 elements, the moderator of the eleven dimensions. I hope you get the point from here." Said the wizard with his Russian accent.
"I see… Uh, so… you know, about the rat problem..." James tried to continue. Something in his heart hold him to run away.
"Do not worry, James. I can see through your mind. Your very conscience is telling you to run away. I have no reason to give you harm. You see, there is a prophet about a savior of the Gem Sea. Anyway, let us get into topic." The wizard replied. He turned to a white heptagram and murmured some words. The candles surrounding the heptagram ignited with a purple flame. "Behold!" The wizard shouted. Just then, a white aura appeared holding a pygmy green entity.
"Yes, THAT'S what I have been looking for! It looks…. Adorable?" James exclaimed, pointing at the entity. It chirped when it saw the farmer.
"They call themselves the 'Junimos'. Keepers of the forest, they are. Hmm, this one seems to refuse to speak to me…" The wizard explained, turning to James. The candles turned off immediately with the green entity disappearing.
"One more thing, though. I was scouring through the community center searching for that thing until I found some kind of golden plate. I'm… not sure if my optical implant could read it." James added.
"I see. No pathetic machinery can decipher such language. Wait here. I'll be back." Rasmodium muttered as he murmured a spell and disappeared from where he was with a thunderous boom. James, flabbergasted, thought it was the good time to search around the tower. The backside was full of books about occults and spells. He then walked to the cauldron. It smelled vile. Just then, the door opened with the wizard coming in.
"I've found the tablet." He said with a scroll on his right hand. He placed it on a unusually high stool and flattened it. "It was obscure, but I could decipher it.
We, the Junimos, are more than happy to help you, O chosen one. Give us gifts of this world and we shall pay by strengthening your community. You will understand the truth of these tablets once you become one with the forest."
"One with the forest? What the hell does that mean?" James asked.
"That, I know not. Hmmm…" Rasmodius fell into deep thought. A short pause later, he jumped and rushed to his cauldron. "Eureka! I may know the answer. Come here, Chosen One!" he said waving his hand to James. "This cauldron is bubbling with everything the forest has to offer. Ah, yes. I can already sense the essence of it." He added.
"Uh, all I smell is dog poop. I hope I'm not offending you, though." James said. The wizard, however, seemed to ignore him.
"Here, ingest it! Let the essence of the forest permeate thy body!" The wizard exclaimed, scooping a bowl full of the green liquid to James.
"Uh… I guess I should. Remind me to kill you if I die." James said, suspiciously drinking from the bowl. His head started to feel dizzy with this vision turning green. The last thing he heard was the wizard chanting spells facing James just before he blacked out.