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-Primal Grounds-



This was probably inevitable.











-Silence-

The first week...

Well, hello there.

There's no need to be so afraid. I am but a humble magician.

I will heal your broken heart for you.

Provided, of course... I am compensated.

-Cradle Where Feelings Rest-





Ugh... Gaaaaaah!



Oh, your temperature's gone up again!
Stay still!
Where's a towel...? Where's a toweeel...?
Wait a sec, okay? I'll be right back with some water!





I'm...

All I could hear in my head during those days were the same words repeating endlessly like a broken record...

Yet somehow, I had no idea who was saying them...

All I knew was that...



...
I...



Cheery Voice: He's supposed to be hurt and resting, not out wandering around! Joshua! Where the heck are you?! Joshuaaa!





Oh. THERE you are.
What're you doing out here? You've gotta start taking it easy!



Why? I'm fine.
Are you suuure? Is your fever gone?
It was just a temporary one as a result of my injuries. My temperature went back down this morning. I'm fine now.
Really?
Whew... Yay. That's good. You were moaning over and over in your sleep. I was worried about you.
... Did I say anything?
Huh?
...Forget I asked. ...



So, umm... If you're feeling better, do you wanna play together? It must've been pretty boring to sleep all the time.
...?
I know it's boring for me when I'm stuck in bed with a fever! I hate not having anything to do.
Oh, but you probably shouldn't be running around with your foot all messed up...
I guess tag and kick the can won't work...
... If you want to play, play by yourself.
Just stay away from me. Because it's probably going to get dangerous here soon.
It is?!
I'm grateful to you for taking care of me. ...Pass that on to Cassius Bright, too.
...
No gloomy faces allowed!
...?!
When you're feeling down, the best thing to do is to do something you enjoy! That'll pick you right up!
Wait here, okay? I'll bring you some stuff you'll really like! Pinky swear!



(There still don't seem to be any signs that anyone's going to come after me...)
(But it's bound to happen eventually. I've got two or three days at most before they find this place. Two or three days...)





So cheer up, okay?

Estelle proudly presented Joshua with a couple of roly polies.

...? (What is she doing?)
Aren't they cute? They curl up if you poke them!
I'm fine, thanks.
Whaaat? How come? They're so cute...
Because I don't. Also, stop coming over here. Stay away from me.
So you want another kind of bug, huh?
That wasn't what I was trying to say...
Hold on! I know LOTS of bugs!





It's a dragonfly!
I don't want one of these, either...
Okay, but how about THIS?! You've gotta like these!
Behold! A Malgan monitor lizard!
...
What?! You're one tough cookie...
Look, this isn't about what I like. I don't want any kind of bug or lizard or anything you have to offer me.
Aaargh!
This one's my favorite, too! What's wrong with you?!
(What's wrong with YOU? I'm feeling more and more like there's something I'm missing, here...)
Sit down for a minute, Joshua. I've got a serious question to ask.
...I'm already sitting.
What kinda bugs do you like?



...what kinds of bugs have webbed feet? Does Estelle count ducks as bugs?

...I'm gonna have to pull out all the stops. I need something so surprising, you'll change your mind...
Don't move a muscle! I'll find something! I will!





She sure likes bugs, doesn't she?

-The Way They Walk In Liberl-





He had a real funny face, too.
...No. I can't let this get me down!



Which means I gotta find him the ultimate bug to cheer him up!
Oh, it's back!
You get back here!

-Primal Grounds-



(It's so...quiet here. Even after all I've been through, this is the first time I've been in a situation like this...)
Cheery Voice: Joshua!
...





How many times do I have to tell you I don't want any bugs before it gets through? Are you even listening?
Look, though! I hereby name this the Human Moth, 'cause the pattern on its wings looks like a human face!
(What the heck?)
Ahahaha! I knew this'd surprise you!
Except it didn't.
I knew my efforts would pay off big time! ☆
Next time, I'm gonna bring back something even MORE awesome!





Cheery Voice: Jo...a...!
Oh, great. She's back.













Ahahaha!



*pant* *pant*
What was THAT for?!
What was what for?
Ahahaha! I'm gonna splash you!



Ahhh... The water feels so nice.
Oh, I know! Wanna go fishing? Playing in the water's fun, but real fishing's even more fun!
Let's go catch today's lunch!



C'mon, Joshua! We're getting out! You'll catch a cold if you stay in those wet clothes too long.
...





This one's for you, Joshua.
You don't need to catch anything for me...
Now I'm gonna catch one for me!
If I don't catch anything, I'll have to go without lunch. And that would suck.
...
(She doesn't listen to a word anyone says to her, does she?)
Oooh, I got a bite!
Haaah!



Oh, it's a dace.
And it's tiny... Daddy's getting this one.
He probably just spent the day messing around instead of working, anyway. He doesn't deserve a cool fish.
...What?
Okay, next one I catch is definitely mine! Hi-ho!
(She doesn't know anything about Cassius Bright?)
(So he tells his daughter nothing about what he does... It fits his profile, I suppose.)



Aww. It got away.
The next one's not gonna be so lucky, though!
...
Ah! A tug!
Okay, maybe not...
...?

-Silence-



Umm...
Mm...
...Hmm?
No, it's nothing...



(Was it always so...bright...?)
(The greenery's hurting my eyes...)



Got'cha! This one's gonna be HUGE!
Come to me, lunchy fishy!



What the heck?! It's a baby!

The second week...

-A Cat Relaxing in the Sun-



Elissa: She didn't come over to the shop yesterday, either.



Tio: Estelle's okay! She always does whatever she wants, when she wants.
Elissa: But she used to come over to play every day...



Elissa: ESTEEELLE! IT'S ELISSA! Esteeeeeelle! Come outside! Y-You don't think she's been ab-dock-ted, do you?
Tio: I think I'd buy 'she got attacked by monsters in the woods and ended up experiencing a slow, drawn-out death' more than that... That sounds like the way she'd go.
Elissa: That's so gross!
Tio:
That's what she gets for going into the woods all the time to play.
Sheesh, Wednesday, lighten up.
Elissa: O-Oh, no... Poor Estelle...
Tio: ...You do know I'm joking, right? Come on out, Estelle! Elissa's going to cry if you don't!
Boy's Voice: If you're looking for Estelle, she's out at the moment.





Tio: You're a boy!
Elissa: Huh?!
...
Tio: Who're you?!
Elissa: Yeah!!







Huh?
What are you doing here?
Elissa: Estelle! Where have you BEEN all this time?! I was so worried about you!
Tio: Who's this boy, anyway? Someone you know? We've been trying to talk to him for ages now, but he won't tell us anything. Keeps telling us everything we ask is 'none of our business.'
...Estelle.
Are these your friends?
Y-Yeah, they are...
(It seems they're not lying about that part, then. They don't seem to have undergone any kind of training, either, and their guard is virtually nonexistent...)
(I figure it's about time THEY found me... but it doesn't look like these two have anything to do with them.)
Tio: He's barely talked ever since we got here. I've never seen him around Rolent before. How do you even know him?
Oh, 'cause Daddy gave him to me as a present.
He's my new little brother!
(...?!)
Elissa: He is?! W-Wow... I sure wouldn't have guessed that.
Tio: Neither would I...because it doesn't make sense! That's not how getting a little brother works!
But it's true! Right, Joshua?
...No, it isn't.





Listen to what your older sister tells you!
As if someone like you could be my older sister.
...Huh? Why?



I'm not here to be friends with you. The only reason I'm here at all is that 'things just worked out that way.'
That was what Cassius Bright said, wasn't it?
...
Oh, and one more thing. Can you stop bringing me bugs?
I don't know what your obsession with them is, but being too much of a meddler is just going to end with you getting hurt.





Ow! Owww!
In this house, I'm the older one!
That means you have to listen to what I say!
O-Ow...



O k a y, J o s h u a? Go on! Answer!
N-No!
Excuse me?!





Elissa: Well, those two sure get along well...
Tio: So it seems...
You two can shut up any time.
Got you!

*WHAM*



I win! From today until forever, I'm your big sister!
No backsies allowed!

-Primal Grounds-







I swear... Why does she do this every single night?
I wish she'd mind her own business...











...
Not a fan of sleeping in the same room as Estelle, I take it?



...She's way too much of a meddler. She's also completely clueless.
She's got no idea how much danger she's willingly exposing herself to...
Why don't you tell her, Cassius Bright? She has a right to know. Why do you stand by and say nothing?!
...The room next to Estelle's has been used as a storage room for a while now, but it could still be converted into a bedroom if need be.
It might actually be perfect for you. Haven't been in there in a while, but I think there might even already be a bed in there.
I'm fine as I am. I don't need a room.
I'll give you that Estelle loves to poke her nose into anything and everything that catches her interest. And I can see how from your perspective, that makes her look like a simpleminded, clueless child. But that's where you're mistaken.
It's not her who's clueless--it's you.
...!
Estelle knows exactly what she wants out of life and what she has to do to get it. Those things are part of what makes her who she is.
Although, I can't deny that I was hoping to raise her to be a little more of a...well, ordinary girl than she's grown up to be.
...
Still, compare that to you, Joshua. You don't have a clue what you want anymore. You don't know what you should be doing.
Which of you is really in the right here?
I...
Just so we're clear, whatever you decide to do, I have no intention of indulging you. I'm not going to tell you to leave...but I'm not going to tell you to stay, either.
What you want to do, where you want to go, who you want to become... Those are all things for you to decide, and you alone.
No one can make that decision for you, and no one knows what kind of decision you will make. Only you.
I... (Just what do I want...?)

-Silence-

Several weeks later...

Several peaceful weeks passed.

Joshua's injuries continued to heal, and it wasn't long before he was able to walk with ease again.

Estelle was jumping for joy at this fact, using it as an excuse to drag him out to play with her at every possible opportunity.

For him, however, it meant more than deciding what to play next--he had to decide what course of action he was going to take.

The time for him to make his choice was drawing near...

-Setting Off-





Perzel?
That's the short-haired girl's last name, right?
Uh-huh! This is where Tio lives. Guess what, though?
Her mom had twins!
...As if I needed to guess anything. You wouldn't shut up about it when you first heard the news.
You've also been to see them over and over as it is... Are they still exciting enough to want to keep visiting?
Oh, we're not here to visit them today. We're here to help at the farm!
Right now, it's harvesting time. But Miss Hannah's kind of stuck with the babies, so they need some help.
And when Elissa told me about it, I wanted that help to be ME.
...Well, it's nice of you to offer...
...but why do I have to come, too?
Because I said so. No complaining! Let's gooo!











Hey! We've come to help!
Franz: Well, well! Music to my ears! Thanks so much for coming over. You did an awful lot for us while Hannah was pregnant as it was.
Aww. That was nothin'. Piece of cake for me!
Franz: Haha. You're a force to be reckoned with, Estelle. Oh, but who is...?
Tio: He's Estelle's new little brother. You know about him! I told you before. His name's Joshua.
Franz: Oh! That does ring a bell... The one who had a big fight with her at some point?
...





Hannah: Why, hello to you, too! I'm so sorry to make you two help out again. You've been helping out so much as it is. If I could get right back to work, I would, but...
Franz: E-Easy, now. You need to rest for a while longer before we can start thinking about that.
Hannah: Why? I was back to work in no time after Tio was born. I just put her on my back and got right to work again!
Elissa: R-Really?
Tio: How am I supposed to know? I was a baby!
Hannah: Sticking twins on my back IS probably pushing it, though... Oh? Who's our black-haired friend?
Franz: That's Joshua. Tio told us about him a while ago.
Hannah: Right! Estelle's younger brother. I remember now. Why, isn't he adorable?
...
Hannah: Have you come to help us, too? Sorry if it's not much fun. Wait. Is that a bandage I see?
Franz: Uh-oh. You're right... Didn't even notice till you pointed it out.
...
My injuries are more-or-less healed. They won't have any effect on my ability to work.
Franz: But 'more-or-less healed' means they're still healing! We can't ask an injured boy to do all our work for us. You need to sit and rest...
Hannah: Honey! I have the perfect idea!

Okay! Let me explain the harvesting process.

Estelle, Elissa, Tio! You can handle the fields in this area here.

Try and start from the fields on the north side. It'll probably be more efficient to split up, too.

Franz and I will take care of the vegetables in the greenhouses.

And as for Joshua...



Hannah: ...I'll leave taking care of the babies to you. The boy is Will, and the girl is Chere.
...
Understood.
Franz: Well, let's get to work! If you run into any problems or there's something you don't understand, don't be afraid to ask.
Estelle & Elissa: Okay!
Tio: Okay.
...



...

-Silence-



The past few weeks, there's been no sign at all that anyone's coming after me.

Why not?

They must've worked out where I am by now.

So am I supposed to take this to mean that they're not interested in me anymore?

...So they just stole my memories and cast me aside?

But still...

I still feel like...

...like I've lost something really important to me...

What is it?

Just what have I...?

Voice: ...Jo...a...!

What have I...?

Cheery Voice: Joshua!
Joshua:
...What?



Estelle: Are you listening, Joshua?
... Estelle?

-A Cat Relaxing in the Sun-

Check THIS out!

Estelle held out a large carrot.

Isn't it cool? I harvested this myself! And this eggplant, too! Look! It's so shiny!
Just don't ask about the rest of those plots. There was a mishap. Could have happened to anyone, really.
... ...Uh...
Hmm? What?
...
*sigh*... You do know you scraped your knee, right?
...Huh?
One day, you'll learn to think before you leap...or at least learn to take care of yourself after.
Come on. Let me take a look at it.
O-Okay...





Joshua took out some disinfectant.

Owww! That stiiings...
Just endure it. It'll be over soon.
(I swear, she attracts scratches and scrapes like a magnet... It's a wonder she hasn't caught tetanus or something.)
Hmm? Joshua?
You really do love causing people trouble...
I never asked you to do anything for me!
That just makes you cause people even more trouble. You don't do anything about your injuries--or even NOTICE them--and it just makes more work for others.
You're a danger to yourself no matter how you look at it...
Anyway, Joshua... Why do you...?
(Oh, she's cut the back of her hand, too.)
Eeek!
Tell me where you're gonna put that stuff before doing it!
...

Joshua finished treating Estelle's wounds.

There. I'm done. Try and take a bit more care in future, unless you want a lot more of 'that stuff' being ap--

Babies: Wah... Waaaaaah! Waaaaaah!
Oh, no!
What can we do?
You don't need to do anything. Looking after them is my job. You go back to your own work.
But...







Baby: ...*gurgle*
Wow! They stopped! You sure you're not their mom?
I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer...
Just go back to work. You're never going to finish if you're not doing anything.
Oh, okay.
Thanks, Joshua!



...Thanks, huh?

-Silence-





-The Whereabouts of Light-











Elissa: Whoooa... He's so cool...
Tio: I didn't know he could do that... A handsome boy playing the harmonica beautifully with the setting sun in the background... There's a picture if I ever saw one. Did you know he could play, Estelle?
Uuugh... He's supposed to be my brother, and he never told me at all!
He's gonna get a HUUUGE lecture later!
Elissa:
Oh, Estelle...
Tio: What are you getting so mad for?



-Silence-

Well, hello there.

There's no need to be so afraid. I am but a humble magician.

I will heal your broken heart for you.

Provided, of course... I am compensated.


-Cradle Where Feelings Rest-

I finally understand.

I finally know what I lost.

Everything that was important to me. My happy memories, all that made my myself... That was the 'compensation' I gave.

All that remains now is a doll... A twisted, broken fragment of who I was.

Someone who exists only to destroy what others love...

I need to leave.

If I stay any longer, I'll end up destroying the happiness of everyone around me.

I need to keep the things that I care about as far away from me as possible. Not close by.

I need them to be far, far out of my reach.

And I need to do it now...before the darkness within me contaminates this place forever.

I need to leave.

Before my very existence causes her irreparable harm.