Welcome to "Journeys with Balan"!
I became a fan of Balan Wonderworld two months ago and I just adore the cutscenes, the soundtrack, and the design of the titular protagonist. It's such a shame to hear that the video game was a commercial and critical failure. Balan reminds me so much of NiGHTS the Nightmaren and his lovely charisma and gorgeous appeal made me have a crush on him. Thinking of him has helped me feel calm and collected while the COVID-19 pandemic goes on.
Balan belongs to Square Enix and the name of my OC is Peyton. I've incorporated my personal experiences on him, though truths are twisted to fit the story better.
TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains mentions of abuse, depression, trauma, and suicide. Read at your own risk.
A Time to Heal
The sun was setting in the late afternoon. I was walking around the park, looking at and admiring the beautiful greenery that is the trees and the grass. I took a seat on a vacant bench after a long hour of walking. In front of me was a big and clean lake that formed ripples from a gentle breeze and showed a reflection of the sunset. As I looked at a far distance, I frowned as something was lingering in the back of my mind. The more I thought about it, the more despondent I became. I shed a couple of tears because of the painful memories that affected me throughout my life.
Suddenly, I heard a distinctive chirp that was coming from below, snapping me back to reality. As I moved my head down, I saw a yellowish-white creature that resembled a chick and oddly enough, had ears similar to that of a rabbit and two spherical appendages.
"Timu timu timu!", the creature chirped adorably, staring at me for a few seconds, and hopped away to the left.
"Wait! Where are you going, little guy?", I asked as I wiped my tears away, immediately stood up, and followed the creature, feeling concerned for their safety.
They hopped quite fast while I ran, not giving a damn about how tired my feet were. Exiting the park, I saw them crossing a few streets so I followed them, but not before looking both ways to make sure it was safe to cross. Afterwards, the creature hopped to an alleyway as I kept on going after them until I caught my breath from all the running and saw what appeared to be a theatre.
"How strange! That's something I don't see every day. A theatre?", I thought to myself whilst observing it.
The building had bright and colourful lights displayed above, as well as another set of lights that spelled out a couple of words. The lights that were off formed the word "Balan" while those that were on formed the word "Wonderworld". In front of me was a large wooden door with a unique design and beside it was a poster depicting a silhouette of a grinning enigmatic figure wearing a top hat. I knocked on the door, hoping for someone to open it. I kept on knocking until all of a sudden, the door opened by itself and as I entered, my eyes widened, feeling amazed to see the interior that looked similar to that of a palace.
As the door closed, I slowly walked whilst carefully noticing the furniture. There were elegant lights hanging from the ceiling, several paintings and lamps on the walls, a couple of plants, a wooden rocking horse, and a broken glass panel. I made my way to the lobby that had chairs, tables, and additional decors such as candles, plants, and lamps. Sitting on a chair was the mysterious figure from the poster, holding a teardrop-shaped crystal.
"Um, excuse me. Are you the owner of this theatre?", I politely asked.
"Oh? It looks like we have a guest", the enigmatic being said with a suave tone of voice as he looked back, grinning widely.
Putting the crystal down, he stood up and whirled around quickly, introducing himself in the grandest way possible. The slender being stood around 7 feet tall, wearing a white, red, and gold magician's shirt with a red ascot and a navy vest. He also wore a white top hat with a red mask-like band, long white trousers with red accents and gold and navy hues, and white heels. His eyes were big and bright yellow, resting upon the band of his hat. His complexion was black, his thick dreadlocks that extend from his hat were turquoise, and his arms and legs were long and slender. His white gloves that fit his large hands had gold ring-like accents and frilly red cuffs.
"Greetings and welcome to my theatre! My name is Balan, your host for tonight, and the ruler of Wonderworld", the maestro confidently said as he bowed.
"Well, hello there, Balan. My name is Peyton. It's nice to meet you", I nervously introduced myself whilst laying my hand in front of him to offer a handshake.
"The pleasure is all mine, Peyton", Balan said as he took my hand and kissed it, making me blush at his formal yet endearing gesture.
"Come right in! The show is about to start", he invited me to the auditorium, had me sit on the front-row seat, and got himself ready for his performance.
As soon as Balan was on the main stage, he entertained me with vibrant and eccentric performances such as magic tricks, solo theatre, and acrobatic choreography with the assistance of his clones as backup dancers. My eyes were glued to the stage as I couldn't get enough of the maestro's exuberance. A bunch of colourful creatures hopped on stage to accompany him, including the one that I encountered at the park. Balan twirled and floated up with arms wide open as tons of multicoloured teardrop-shaped crystals scattered all over the ground, illuminating the stage and concluding the show.
"That was amazing, Balan! I've never seen performances like that in all my life", I praised as I stood up from the seat, clapping my hands.
"Why, thank you, Peyton dear! I'm glad that I could entertain you", Balan joyfully replied.
"If I may ask, what is behind those red curtains?", I asked out of curiosity.
"Why don't you come over here and find out?", he said whilst extending his hand outward.
The creatures hopped back to give me space as I walked and offered my hand for him to help me climb the stage. As we approached the curtains, Balan opened one of them, unveiling a beautiful island. I gasped with my eyes wide open as I couldn't believe what I saw. The sky was fairly blue and the clouds were purely white. There were buildings tall and short that stood in several places and various flowers and trees that flourished on the abundantly green grass.
"Welcome to the Isle of Tims! This place is home to the creatures known as Tims. They are the guardians of the Happiness Time", Balan described as he picked one of them and gave a cuddle.
"Woah! It looks gorgeous!", I exclaimed whilst looking around in awe.
"Feel free to explore. I, along with the Tims, am here to accompany you", he added.
"Wait a minute. That's the Tim that led me to your theatre", I pointed out.
"Is that so?", he wondered.
"Timu timu!", the Tim happily chirped as they recognized me.
Balan chuckled as he gave the Tim to me. I gently stroked their furry body and cradled them in my arms, smiling whilst looking at their precious face.
"Would it be alright to give them a name?", I asked.
"By all means, go ahead", Balan replied.
"Hmmm... How does Tori sound?", I suggested.
"Is there a meaning behind that particular name?", he asked.
"Well, Tori is a Japanese word for bird and this little furball certainly looks like one", I explained.
"Ah! That makes total sense. Tori it is!", he gladly accepted.
"Timu!", Tori chirped, liking the name that I gave them.
I strolled along the isle, exploring its wonders and appreciating the nature around me while Balan floated next to me. I saw several Tims near and far as I went on. Their undeniable cuteness brought a genuine smile to my face. Balan noticed how happy I was, making him feel good in the chest. After minutes of strolling, I sat on the grass and reclined on a tree, letting out a sigh of relief as Balan sat beside me, initiating our conversation.
"It is pretty peaceful here. What a perfect place to relax and unwind from all the stress and pressure", I said.
"It sure is", Balan concurred.
"Stumbling upon here was the best thing that's ever happened to me", I continued.
"Have you wondered why you're here in the first place?", he queried.
"No, I don't have the slightest idea", I replied.
"It's because your heart is currently in an unbalanced state. Your quest is to restore its balance before returning to the real world", he explained.
"Oh. Well, truth be told, I'm looking for a place to belong. There's no point for me to return there. People like me are not wanted", I said with a frown.
"I see. May I know the reason why?", he asked with a look of concern.
All of a sudden, our heart-to-heart talk was interrupted by a rumbling sound.
"Oh my! It looks like I haven't eaten for quite a while", I claimed as I touched my stomach.
"I'll whip us up some dinner in the dining kitchen back at the theatre. Would you like to come?", Balan offered.
"Yes, please", I accepted as I put Tori on my head.
Balan and I stood up and headed back to the theatre. As we walked along the hallway, I looked at the large paintings on the walls that depict people from different walks of life, as well as more decorations that brighten up the establishment. There was also a red-and-gold chaise longue and an art deco stained glass panel behind it. We went upstairs and made our way to the dining kitchen. I couldn't help but be astounded by its silver-and-black design.
Balan pulled up a chair for me to sit and snapped his finger, causing food to magically appear on the table. It left me in complete shock that he was able to prepare food in a quick second. He sat on his chair, I put Tori on the floor, and we started digging in. We had trenette al pesto with garlic buttered toast on the side and warm water served in wine glasses. We took the time eating our dinner, savouring the taste and texture of various ingredients combined into the dish.
"Enjoying the meal, Peyton?", Balan asked.
"Oh yes! This is absolutely smashing!", I complimented.
"Good to know", he said.
"How about you, Balan?", I queried.
"Of course!", he replied.
"I hope you don't mind me sharing a little with Tori", I said.
"Not at all. Though Tims primarily eat crystals called Drops", he accepted.
I gave a little amount to Tori and they seemed to enjoy it. After finishing our meal, Balan snapped his finger, causing the used utensils to vanish. I turned my head down and frowned, remembering the discussion we had at the isle.
"I can tell that something's bothering you, Peyton. I'm all ears if you need to talk about it", Balan empathically said.
"How can I be sure that you're trustworthy, Balan? We just met today", I apprehensively asked.
"Dear, I've helped a lot of people with opening up their hearts. Listening to them is what I do best", he reassured.
"If you say so. Though this may take a while for me to get this off my chest", I replied.
"Take your time. Don't rush for my sake", he encouraged.
"Well, I've been letting painful memories linger in the back of my mind. When I was young, I was indoctrinated with one-sided and outdated ideologies and was taught to never question anything. As I grew older, I found out a lot of inconsistencies as they're not relevant to the present times anymore", I vented.
"That must have been a difficult situation to deal with", Balan sympathized.
"During my adolescent years, I experienced emotional and psychological abuse from people in my life and those around me. All they did was invalidate and dismiss my feelings, use fear tactics to prevent me from leaving, impose their beliefs on me, disrespect my preferences, interfere with my decisions, and dictate what my life should be. No one accepted me for who I am and it has taken a toll on my mental health", I continued as my voice began to break.
"I'm deeply sorry to hear that", he consoled.
"I eventually got out of that toxic hellhole and found a place to live on my own. I got a job to sustain myself and I've been putting myself first ever since. Despite all that, repressing all the bad feelings has made it more difficult to get myself together. This, along with so much awful shit going on, has made me lose all my faith in humanity. I considered taking my own life but I couldn't do it", I furthered as tears finally streamed down my face.
I couldn't hold it in anymore so I cried with my eyes shut, causing some of my tears to drop on the table.
"Timu...", Tori sadly chirped as they hopped on my shoulder to offer me solace.
I kept on crying until I felt something on top of my hand. I opened my eyes and noticed it was Balan's hand. Moving my head up, I looked at him in the eyes, thinking of what he was going to say.
"Peyton, it pains me to hear how much hurt you have experienced, how long you have been suffering, and how much damage it has done to you", Balan comforted.
"B-Balan...", I simply said.
"It takes great courage to be that vulnerable and I appreciate that you opened up to me. Don't let anyone take away what makes you happy. You are you and your feelings matter", he advised.
"Th-thank you... I really needed to hear that...", I said whilst emitting a few sniffles.
"Would it be alright if I give you a hug?", Balan asked after standing up to walk towards me and knelt.
I nodded my head, allowing Balan to wrap his arms around me. I wrapped mine on him in return, letting out all the emotions that I've bottled up for so many years. Balan rubbed my back in circles, understanding my anguish as I continued sobbing. My face was a complete mess and my eyes were red and puffy from the constant flow of tears. I took deep breaths as I started to calm down from the prolonged embrace that helped alleviate my well-being.
"Are you feeling better now?", Balan queried as he offered me a box of tissues.
"It will take a few days for me to get better", I replied whilst using the tissues to wipe my face.
"I understand", he responded.
Once I was done opening up, Balan, Tori, and I exited the dining kitchen, making our way to his bedroom. It was a large bedroom that had a red velvet theme, consisting of a luxurious canopy bed, two lamps and two drawers placed in-between, an air-conditioner, and another red-and-gold chaise longue.
"Peyton, you have a place here for as long as you need. I'll make sure to keep you safe and that you are taken care of", Balan reassured with his hands on my shoulders.
"I appreciate the thoughtful gesture, Balan. I hope I'm not a burden to you", I responded with a slight smile.
"Nonsense! It feels nice to have some company. In the meantime, I'm going to take a shower. Make yourself at home and feel free to read a book to your liking", he said as he entered the bathroom.
"Alright", I said.
Removing my 2ΒΌ-inch heels, I placed them on a shoe rack. I looked at the bookshelf, reading the titles of books that were arranged in alphabetical order. I picked one book that interested me and sat on the chaise longue. Tori rested on my lap as I went on reading to pass the time. Afterwards, Balan got out, wearing a red-and-white night robe. He wasn't wearing his hat, revealing the rest of his hair and some of his complexion. Noticeably, there were distinctive golden markings on his forehead, around his eyes, and on the back of his hands.
Once I got in his bathroom, I observed that there was a well-built extra wide bathtub with a showerhead, an off-white toilet, a tempered glass washbasin, and a rectangular mirror cupboard. Provided were a neatly-folded towel, a new toothbrush with toothpaste, a bottle of lavender mint shampoo, and a bar of soap infused with chamomile and coconut.
After cleaning myself up, I exited and rested on the bed with Balan beside me. I continued reading the book to clear my mind off unpleasant things. Balan and I talked about anything under the sun. Later that night, we laid down and wrapped ourselves with a blanket. We were in a position where we faced each other, causing me to blush at the sight of the charming maestro. Balan chuckled at my reaction and gave a comforting smile.
"This is the first time that I'm sleeping with you, so you might have to bear with me", I bashfully said.
"No worries. You'll get used to this", Balan replied.
"Ok. Goodnight, Balan", I responded.
"Goodnight, Peyton. Things will get better. I promise", he reassured me once more before we closed our eyes.
As we proceeded to sleep, Balan held my hand gently, giving me a sense of security. There were a lot of thoughts going on in my mind and I didn't know what was going to happen in the coming days, but I stopped overthinking as I committed his encouraging words to memory. From that point on, I left the real world behind me and I was ready to start a new life in Wonderworld.
End of Chapter 1
The part where Peyton opened up to Balan is inspired by an audio skit created by JordantheCat11 and Hype VoiceActing. Feel free to check it out on YouTube if you have the time. Also, just to get this out of the way, Balan's hairstyle and skin colour remain as is when he's not wearing his hat.
Anyway, thank you so much for reading this story. It took me a total of 9 days to pour my heart and soul into this chapter. I have some ideas for the next chapter, but I'm going to take a break from writing as I have to study for the final exam of the Japanese language class that will take place in a week. Your patience and understanding is truly appreciated.
This is just the beginning, so please stay tuned. Take care and stay safe. - Anthro Fanatic
