[Things seem more settled now â the last few days peaceful enough, save for the monsters on the other side of the barrier. Itâs a peaceful enough night now, the stars out, the moon shining low over the sakura.
Except, something feels off. Maybe youâve felt it the last few days: the monsters are stronger. Or, the barrier is weaker. Or maybe itâs a mixture of both. Those monsters that have broken past the barrier donât seem to be aiming for you â but then what are they aiming for?
In the meantime, the sakuras are fading away. Perhaps itâs subtle enough to miss at first, but some of the smaller ones nearer the barrier are fading out, the petals turning bone-white. The largest sakura at the center of the city is still pink, but itâs clearly fading in color.
And all around you, things are crumbling. The river is flowing a little sluggishly, with less fish than before. The crops in the field are starting to rot from the roots outward. The buildings around you are starting to crumble.
Itâs not an entire disaster, though. Those basic weapons you had at the start? Theyâre evolving, too â and at least they arenât crumbling around you like everything else. No, the more monsters you destroy, the sturdier your weapons are.
But what about those who werenât given a weapon? Now that the monster attacks are growing stronger, the barrier growing weaker, it might become clear to you that your skills are â not helpful against fighting the monsters. In fact, anything you try to do is just useless against them.
But those without weapons â perhaps youâre starting to feel what your place in all this is. As a priest or priestess to the sakura, youâre responsible for protecting them â so even if you donât have the sword, you can always be the shield: protect the trees, at all costs, or else all is lost. The sakura need to be protected.
The monster attacks are increasing, the sakura are losing their color, the world around you is crumbling, and the clear, calm nights are slowly slipping away â are those thunderclouds in the distance? Whateverâs happening, might be best to figure it out quickly.]