+++ 奇跡国 - Miracle Country +++

[With many still recovering, it's perhaps time to help with the process. Kiseki will be providing everyone with an invitation to the onsen springs, via the Usyagi, a good chance to relax for a while, especially given it's been long enough that most will be up on their feet by now.

Perhaps outshined by the sports facilities found near it, the large onsen on that small island is a facility with many, many springs, both outdoors and indoors (even smaller ones for a more private use), as well as japanese-styled rooms to rent for the day. Are you not the type to enjoy some hot water and relaxing in a yukata at a hotel room? Well, you might find yourself there anyway. It's probably best to go along with it, right?



In fact, Miracle Country will collaborate in other ways - because it might not be the best time to be soaking in hot water, the weather will have gradually chilled during the past days, making this one a pleasantly cool one, perfect for these activities. So there's no excuse! Embrace this mini-vacation and enjoy the day.]

🌸

[And just as quickly as it started, it stops.

The last twenty-four hours have been a difficult one – and it likely shows around you. Everyone who was caught up in the attack is tired, injured, and scared after everything. It’s still again, just like before – can you trust it?

The monsters are now gone, and even if you tried to pursue them into the forests, you wouldn’t be able to find them. It’s as if they have simply vanished. But the impact they’ve left on the island is clear – the shopping district is a mess of broken glass and claw marks in the walls and street. The park has a few fallen trees and broken branches. Some of the bridges have gaping holes in them that haven’t been repaired yet. Some Usyagi are floating around, magically repairing things, but some other damages will be left untouched, especially if it’s a character-run business.

And, even though healing is no longer blocked, it’s – delayed. What would normally heal within a day is going to take a couple of weeks to heal properly. Too bad, considering almost everyone was attacked in some way, right? But it’ll be quiet for the next few weeks, so hopefully that’ll give you all time to heal…

And at least it’s a sunny summer day. The sun is shining, there’s a light breeze, and there’s at least some peace. For now.]


🌸

[[The invasion event is over; keep in mind that this log is backdated to a day after the invasion event began.]]

[It starts like any other day, really. It’s a lovely summer day – the sun is shining, birds are chirping. You might be outside relaxing or inside escaping the heat. Perhaps you are at the beach, enjoying the new set-up. Or in the park, enjoying the cherry blossom trees.

It is not to last, though.

You might notice that the hotel begins to lock you out. It’s sealing itself. But why? No one is allowed to get inside and if you were within your room or the underground tunnels, you’ll find yourself magically pushed out, gradually at first.

And then the sudden, complete silence follows – perhaps those with a sense for it will notice that something is going wrong. Everything is too still. There are no more birds chirping, no insects buzzing. Even the wind has died down.



When the monsters come out of the forest, they strike without hesitation: anyone and anything in their way are in danger. You might want to grab weapons before the hotel seals itself completely – because it will, in the next few minutes.

The creatures move in waves, each wave a different type of creature – wolves, spiders, bears. Then, creatures you might not recognize at all. They move swiftly and silently and without mercy. They are not real animals, more like spirits given form, come to seek vengeance and invading every place they can find. They will bite and they will claw and they will attack – but they will not kill, not if you get away quickly enough. Some of them are poisonous, their jaws dripping with it, enough to make you ill or to paralyze or to make you weaker.

Thankfully or perhaps unthankfully, they seem to be specifically targeting: they go for the strongest first and bypass the weaker characters. But it’s only a matter of time before they start coming for you, no matter how strong you might be.

The invasion will go on for the full day, without relief – not that you can know how long it’ll last. You can fight back – in fact, it will be necessary for you to fight back – but it will not be enough to stop the hoard. The monsters will not retreat until they’ve hurt you enough.

You won’t be able to escape to the safety of the hotel, as they will all lock you out, but some buildings might be open elsewhere. You might have better luck escaping to the other islands, although the creatures will follow. Do not try to escape to the water because there are monsters waiting there, too: giant sea serpents and other creatures in the ocean, lake, and river. They will linger near the bridges crossing between islands and the train no longer works.

You will not be able to heal your wounded, as magic and bending are blocked – and even traditional medicinal skills don’t seem to work. Wrapping the wounds means the bandages slide off the skin. Painkillers and herbs do nothing.

You have one job for the next twenty-four hours: survive.]

🌸

[[The invasion is here! Here is last month’s plotting post regarding the event and remember you can ask here about anything concerning the event.]]

[Things have been pretty calm recently, with time to relax at new places and everything... Which means that when you get ready to sleep tonight, and find yourselves completely unable to, it might feel strange to many who don't currently feel stressed out or worried about anything in particular. As the minutes turn into hours, it's clear any attempts to relax and get some sleep are pointless - no warm beverages or sheep counting will do the trick.



So perhaps you'll opt for embracing the sleeplessness and staying up in your rooms, alone or with whomever shares it. Perhaps you feel like heading down to the common rooms under the hotels and watch a movie, or hang out with others who might've had the same idea. Perhaps you feel like going outside for a walk - it's a good night to do that, with a bright full moon to light your way.

In any case, the following day will be declared a holiday, to account for those who might be exhausted after staying up all night. Never say Miracle Country isn't fair.]

[The first, most obviously noticeable thing: all the lights have gone out. Not only are the buildings and other spaces not illuminated any longer, but the sky is completely dark as well, no sun, moon or stars to light up anything. No matter the hour, the whole of Miracle Country looks this way, swallowed up in darkness that doesn't change.

The second thing to notice: it's not easy to create new sources of light. Are you grabbing some candles? Perhaps want to attempt building a bonfire of sorts? Using your own magic? All new sources of light created, even large ones, will glow very faintly, dimly, in a blueish light. Like they're struggling to stay there at all. So while they might be better than sitting around in full darkness, they won't fix the issue that much.





The third thing to... possibly be alarmed by: there are certain sources of light. Unpredictable, creepy and changing around, there're phrases and words written in different ways across walls, on tree trunks, on the surface of the caves, anywhere you look at. They glow brighter than fire or magic lights, shining for a while before it stops, and another phrase somewhere else lights up. Not only that, but the words they show might appear... relevant? Accusing? Sad, even? Confessions, bold statements, secrets, it'll be soon noticeable that these aren't random phrasings, but things that those here might think, even if they might not ever wish to say them out loud. Once that much is clear, it's likely easy to have misunderstandings. What if you think a certain phrase is something you believe your friend thinks, deep down? How can you know for sure? Nothing in the words shows who they truly belongs to. Perhaps it's a relief, if your own secrets are something you cannot afford to have out in the open...

In any case, it'll all be over after the weekend. Try to manage in the dark until then.]

🌸

[[Secrets in the dark~ event! Secrets list is here, remember you can ask here about anything concerning the event.]]

[Another peaceful day in Miracle Country! The sky is clear, the birds are singing, the monkeys are chattering... Wait, why is there a monkey? Is that a gazelle? And what looks like a pink and yellow ostrich?

If you're walking around doing your usual thing and end up coming across some rather unusual animal, in all senses of the word, well... The Miracle Country Zoo might have to issue an apology to some people. That panda blocking your door, those iguanas chilling near your window, that seal trying to get into the lake, and the others, they've broken free from the zoo. Or maybe Kiseki set them free to have some fun, who knows. It's a fushigi mystery. Initially, most of them will be found, well, near the zoo, and the garden islands themselves. Of course, if anyone's been paying attention, they'd know those gardens have some crops belonging to one of our residents. You might want to help out before some clueless creature decides to have a snack, or stomps all of them.

The good news is that most of the animals scattered are pretty chill ones - no need to be considering your last words as you come face-to-face with a fluorescent hippo (*). The bad news is no one seems to be doing anything about them, so it'll be up to you to take some action, if you care to. Perhaps after a few days, they'll retire back to their island on their own, or choose to settle at the forests.

If your characters do cooperate and help keep things in check, however, Miracle Country will reward them - courtesy of the Usyagi, they'll receive free tickets to visit the zoo later, and meet up with their new buddy animals, or they will be given free crop and flower seeds to use in the gardens, forests or wherever they'd like.]

[[(*) If it is your life-long dream to play out your character being mauled by a neon-colored hippo, exceptions will be allowed.]]

[So. What do you do when you're tricked into believing you should hide your powers again, and pretend the idea of having magic is laughable? You say 'fuck it' and make a bit of a statement as to how much of a sorcerer you really are.

And this is precisely what Merlin is doing. He's taken over one of the huts deeper into the forest, set out a couple of tables outside of it, and carried about every book of magic he owns over there, along with notebooks and other things. Under the curious gaze of some of the dragons that lurk in the forests, the point is to gather there and talk about magic with others. Or practice it, given it's safer to dick around with it further from where they all usually live. Or argue endlessly about magic versus bending. He's not picky.

Merlin'll have let people know of it, so you'll know in advance if you're interested in coming over to this magical meeting of sorts. There's no need to have magic skills of your own to attend, either - maybe you're just curious about the subject, or you want to watch what they'll all get up to.]

[Or maybe you still have vivid memories of Merlin setting fire to the forests out of anger before, and you want to make sure he won't be getting new ideas. Either way.]

[[Magic club/society/pick a name for it meeting! Merlin is here, otherwise mingle as you'd like.]]

[There's been time to rest and heal, after the recent events. Nothing to be concerned with, no magical flora to die for this time. The calm after the world stabilized itself continues through these days, and by all means, it looks like things are normal now. Nothing is attacking, the city looks the usual, the Usyagi still have one single expression...

And yet, something isn't quite right. As you go through your usual day, it'll be difficult not to notice... Maybe that friend of yours who always seems weighed down by their issues back home seems far too cheerful today. Or maybe your significant other is looking at you funny when you jokingly comment you're as good as married? Perhaps your usual sarcastic jokes about tragic events in your life are being met with exceedingly horrified, shocked looks. How about that person you can't stand who now doesn't even seem to recognize you or know why you shouldn't get along?

Perhaps it's not them, but you who is acting odd and doesn't realize it yet. Does something feel off? Is someone talking to you like you should know them better? Or differently? Do you even remember where you are?

What's happening, then? During the next couple of days, memories will be altered, removing significant moments in people's life from their minds. Had they achieved something? Saved someone else? Fought someone? Watched someone die, or died themselves? Had they made a big choice? Had they arrived somewhere important? Fallen in love? Were they witness to some very relevant event in their worlds? Had they formed a deeply important friendship while in this world? If it's crucial to their development, it's at risk of disappearing for a while. And with it, memories that match the loss. So perhaps you only forgot about one person, or one big event happening, or maybe you're so removed from things that you can't even recall arriving to Miracle Country in the first place.

Of course, what you forget isn't forgotten by others. So you can be told of these things you can't remember, should they wish to spoil you. Otherwise, it's simply a matter of waiting for those memories to come back - and they will, even if some might take a little longer than others.]


[[No spoilers event! Mingle as you'd like!]]

[This new world is holding up. With the warriors fighting the monsters attacking, and the priests and priestesses giving their own power to heal the sakura, the crumbling world recovered enough so that it would not collapse entirely. The sky cleared up a bit, the buildings are now staying in place... It's tiring, though. Battle after battle, the loss of energy, people's blood being spilt. You should be able to tell by now, you won't manage to hold on forever. Something has to change. Something has to give in.

When the ground shakes, and the largest creatures so far make their appearance, it feels like the answer - they're heading straight to the biggest tree in the middle of it all. Grab your weapons, or be ready to give up your life energy, and meet them there, hopefully for the last time. It won't be the only thing to change. In the middle of the battle, and with the help of those able to aid it, the central tree's power will grow stronger, and stronger, until it overflows, its magic too large for it to contain. The tree will break, releasing a darkness that will trap everyone, swallow them into the tree itself...

... And then you'll wake up. The fighting is over, things are silent now, and you'll find yourselves in beds scattered across the usual Miracle Country, covered in sakura petals. For those who were injured, fighting or protecting the trees, they'll find that they've been bandaged up, the energy given up by others having acted as a price for the cure. Were you asleep for a while? You'll feel fine now, aside from the lingering injuries that will already start to heal faster than should be possible. You may get up, leave the beds, and look around. Everything looks normal - the tree is back at its usual place, strong and unmarked, in full bloom as always. The other trees are blooming just as pink for the day.

Don't think your efforts went unnoticed. The general peaceful atmosphere appears to make it easier to rest comfortably and heal, for those who need it. The clothes and weapons you used are now yours to keep, fixed up and good as new. The rooms at the hotel are all freshened up and sparkly clean, ready to receive their usual guests - you'll find fresh flowers set up near windows, nicer bedsheets and towels, and so on. There are picnic clothes and baskets set out around the islands, near the beds or the temporarily all-pink trees, where you can enjoy a meal with others, if you'd like. Even the Usyagi, usually distant and strange, seem cheerful today, floating around and giving away colorful balloons to people (and look around - if you get one that looks like it shines, you'll have a good dream that night).

Of course, it's April 1st! A day for celebration in this world. Welcome back.]

[[Our Sacred Sakura event ends! Happy CLAMP day!!]]

[Things seem more settled now – the last few days peaceful enough, save for the monsters on the other side of the barrier. It’s a peaceful enough night now, the stars out, the moon shining low over the sakura.

Except, something feels off. Maybe you’ve felt it the last few days: the monsters are stronger. Or, the barrier is weaker. Or maybe it’s a mixture of both. Those monsters that have broken past the barrier don’t seem to be aiming for you – but then what are they aiming for?

In the meantime, the sakuras are fading away. Perhaps it’s 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 it’s 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.

It’s not an entire disaster, though. Those basic weapons you had at the start? They’re evolving, too – and at least they aren’t crumbling around you like everything else. No, the more monsters you destroy, the sturdier your weapons are.

But what about those who weren’t 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 – not helpful against fighting the monsters. In fact, anything you try to do is just useless against them.

But those without weapons – perhaps you’re starting to feel what your place in all this is. As a priest or priestess to the sakura, you’re responsible for protecting them – so even if you don’t 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 – are those thunderclouds in the distance? Whatever’s happening, might be best to figure it out quickly.]