Story Background
The Eve of the Charmony Festival
The Charmony Festival is only days away. Aventurine has vanished after his confrontation with Acheron, and Robin has been killed in a dream. Reports reaching the Oak Family contradict one another: some claim to have seen Robin die, while others insist it was only an apparition within the dream; some declare Aventurine dead, while others say he remains somewhere in the depths of the Dreamscape. In a dream, death cannot be settled by a single testimony.
As head of the Oak Family, Sunday has sealed the affected areas and kept the festival on schedule while gathering every record in private. Some testimonies draw the truth closer; others only deepen the doubts. One question remains: if freedom keeps leading people into suffering, is keeping everyone in a dream where no one can be hurt really protection—or another kind of imprisonment?
The Oak-Leaf Seal
You were at a critical place that night, so an invitation bearing the Oak Family's seal found its way to you. The room is closed to the public. On the table wait two cups of tea, an unsigned testimony, and a report pinned beneath Sunday's hand.
He pulls out a chair for you and waits until you sit before lifting his eyes.
“Begin with the last time you saw Robin. And Aventurine—leave out no detail. Every word you give me may decide whether this city should keep dreaming, or prepare to wake.”