Lost in Summer! Fated Paradise · Chapter 2
Ayla, the Girl
*Splash! Splash!*
We were playing around here, right?
Smile
...Cannot confirm.
After that, we waited for the beach restrictions to lift, then spent hours searching for the wallet Luna might have dropped into the ocean.
Luna
Nnngh... I can't find it anywhere!
Smile
Obvious upon consideration. Coins made of metal alloy are too dense to float.
Luna
Th-then you're saying we'll never find it?!
Waaah... No way... No waaay!
At that, Luna's shoulders drooped.
Luna
...Guess I have no choice.
I'll do a reading to find it!
Smile
Not recommended. Unscientific methodology. Accuracy decreases when Luna is the practitioner.
Luna
Wh-what are you talking about?! My prophecies are always perfectly accurate!
It's just... reading your own fortune is kind of taboo among oracles...
...So I may have occasionally pretended I saw the future without doing a reading.
Smile
...At least I detect self-awareness. Good.
Luna
Ngh... But still! This is an emergency!
This is way better than wearing ourselves out without even knowing if we can find it!
Please, dear Moon...! Show me a future where I get my wallet back...!
With a desperate look, Luna clasped her hands and squeezed her eyes shut.
Luna
...Yes. I can see it. A future where I find my lost wallet.
...Mm-hm. And after that...
Ah...!
Luna's eyes suddenly flew open. She shook her head a few times, then closed them again.
Luna
No, no. That must've been the wrong future. Again...
...Mm, this part seems right...
Yeah...
...
No! Again!
Hmm...
......
Again!!!
Yeah...
..................
...D-don't tell me...
This time, Luna slowly opened her eyes, saying nothing as a strangely benevolent smile spread across her face.
Luna
...Um, when people say they can't see the future, that's usually a figure of speech, right?
But when I actually can't see a future where I find my wallet, it usually means that future really doesn't exist.
...Yeah. It's been a while since I've actually run into this situation, so I'm kind of thrown off. That's all.
...Luna...
Luna
What do I do, Captain?
...
It's overrrr!!
We're never gonna find it!!!!
Luna
...Looks like our fate won't let us get the wallet back.
Since there's nothing we can do... I think we'll have to give up!
You gave up way too fast!
Luna
But come on! I'm not dumb enough to bet on something with no chance!
Smile
Correction. Probability is approaching zero, but has not reached zero.
Luna
No, no. That future doesn't exist, so it's exactly zero.
Look at it this way! We were fated to lose the wallet from the start!
What kind of fate is that...
Luna
Huh? I'm serious! Don't underestimate the power of fate, Captain.
After all, every little thing in the world is driven by the power of a fixed future.
But if everything in the world only ever unfolds according to it...
Wouldn't that make hoping for something, struggling for it, or trying to live life to the fullest feel meaningless?
Luna
Ahaha. If they were meaningless from the start, then realizing they're meaningless doesn't mean you've lost anything, right?
...But...
Luna
Okay, okay! We'd be better off finding something else fun to do instead of thinking about this stuff!
Now, how should we enjoy the rest of our vacation? Huh? Huh?
We can't buy new swimsuits now, but we can still play in the ocean all we want!
Smile
...Regrettably, Luna's wish cannot be realized.
Luna
What?! Why not?!
Smile
Outstanding charges accumulated since our arrival in Flora are enormous.
Without the wallet, full payment is impossible.
Has Luna already forgotten?
Luna
Oh, right! We had all those tabs to settle, didn't we?
I got so carried away spending that I totally forgot...!
Uuugh...
...Ahhh...
...
...Oh! Captain, do you have any money? Even a little would help!
What for...?
Luna
Well, to fix this, I think our only option is to hit the casino and win big like last time.
So please, just spot me some cash this once!
Try actually working to pay what we owe!!
Luna
Ugh... Not this one, not this one either...
*Flip, flip*
In the end, to pay off all the tabs we'd run up, we stopped by Candle Square's Flora branch to look for any quests worth taking.
Smile
Urgently Hiring Swimsuit Laundry Staff
Easy work. Highly recommended for anyone looking for an easy little side gig they can do while kicking back...
Rejected. Nowhere near enough to cover what we owe.
Luna
Hmm... Then what about this? Resort Staff Needed
The pay is pretty good, isn't it?
Smile
Rejected. They're looking for someone who can work for at least a month.
Then what about this?
I pointed to a poster hanging in the corner.
Help Me Find the Pirate King's Treasure!
Seeing the large lettering, Smile stood on tiptoe, took down the poster, and examined it closely.
Smile
...A quest asking for help finding treasure using a map the client happened to acquire.
No other details or time frame listed.
Luna
A treasure hunt?!
Smile
Likely left posted in the far corner of the quest board for a considerable time.
Details unclear. Reliability unclear. Possible bait ad disguised as a quest.
...Let's look for something else.
We went through every quest on the board, but...
We didn't find a single decent quest after all.
Smile
At this rate, our only option is to work off the debt through unpaid labor.
As we trudged along, wondering how we'd ever pay the enormous bill...
???
Please... help me!
A frail-looking girl was being chased by a group of rough-looking men.
Pirate A
Stop right there!
*Whoosh!*
One of the pirates chasing her swung his blade. It missed her by a hair.
Girl
P-please, save me!
Luna
Agh! If she'd been even a second slower, she could've gotten seriously hurt...!
Smile
...Captain.
Yeah, let's help her!
We rushed in and blocked the girl's pursuers before things got any worse.
Luna
Hey, what are you guys doing?! That's dangerous!
Can't you see she's terrified?!
Smile
Multiple armed subjects threatening a single target. Clear act of intimidation.
Requesting you put away your weapons and withdraw.
Pirate A
What are these punks babbling about? Get out of the way!
Pirate B
Hey, don't get so worked up.
Looks like these amateurs want to play hero and end up crying their eyes out...
No need for a long speech. Let's teach them a lesson.
Pirate A
We'll make sure you never forget just how terrifying the Flora Pirates are!
Pirate A
Ggh...! Damn it, these punks are stronger than we thought!
Pirate B
L-let's fall back for now. We don't have the numbers for this!
The pirates chasing the girl quickly turned tail.
Even so, the tension showed no sign of leaving her face.
Her hands were trembling like leaves, so I approached to calm her down.
Are you all right?
Girl
P-please don't come any closer...!
Luna
Huh? We just saved you, and that's how you treat us?
Come on, miss. Do we really look like bad guys to you? Like those scary-looking pirates?
Smile
Judging by Luna alone, her caution is understandable.
Luna
Wh-what's that supposed to mean?!
Sorry for scaring you.
We're not bad people.
Girl
...
The girl continued to eye us warily, showing no sign of letting down her guard.
Smile
The Captain's statement is correct. We are not bad people.
Girl
Captain...?
Luna
Hehe. Ever heard of the Voyager Savior Party?
Girl
Wait... Then you must be...!
Luna
Hehe. Now you recognize me? Yours truly is Luna, Lavistar's greatest oracle, inheritor of the Moon Staff, and proud member of the Voyager Savior Party!
You know about the Voyager Savior Party?
Girl
Yes. Well...
...I heard that the Voyager Savior Party carries on the name of the Savior Party once led by the Star Savior...
And that its leader is the Journey Captain, personally appointed by Lady Alicia to oversee the long-standing tradition of the Journey...
Luna
Ahaha... I was just throwing that out there. Guess we're more famous than I thought...
Smile
Asherah might have been happy to hear that.
Girl
Yes. Since I was confined at home, all I could do was read whatever I could get my hands on...
And you can't research Flora's founder, the Pirate King, without coming across stories from the Age of Darkness.
*Sigh...* In any case, I'm so relieved you aren't after the map—
*Thud*
The girl sighed in relief, then seemed to grow dizzy, staggered, and collapsed.
Luna
H-hey! Stay with me!
Even as she lay unconscious, the girl clutched an old piece of parchment like she'd never let it go.
Smile
Blink detected.
Captain, Luna.
Luna
Oh, looks like she's coming around.
Girl
...Where... am I...?
You passed out for a moment.
Are you okay?
Girl
*Cough...* Yes... I'm okay. I think I just collapsed once I relaxed.
*Cough... cough...*
The girl kept coughing as she rummaged through the pouch at her waist and pulled out a packet of medicine.
The girl shook some pills from the packet into her palm and swallowed them dry, as if it were second nature. Soon, her coughing stopped.
Girl
Phew... I'm feeling a little better now. I'm sorry.
As the curse grows stronger... I sometimes lose consciousness like this.
A curse? What do you mean?
Girl
...Well...
...
I should introduce myself first. It's a little late, but let me do it properly.
My name is Ayla. I am the eldest daughter of the Floren family.
Ayla
Our family dates back to the founding of Flora.
They say our ancestor was a loyal follower of the legendary pirate known as the Pirate King, who founded Flora.
Luna
That's amazing! So your ancestor was a pirate?
Ayla
Yes. Our family has an heirloom passed down through generations known as the Pirate King's treasure map.
Ayla showed us the old map she'd been clutching.
Smile
The Pirate King's treasure map... The one from the quest board...
Luna
Smile, you said it was probably some bait ad disguised as a quest—
Smile
*Poke!*
Luna
Ow, ow! Stop poking me!
Ayla
...So you saw it too.
...Did you post that quest, Ayla?
Ayla
...Yes, that's right.
They say this treasure map is an heirloom the Pirate King entrusted to our ancestor, one of his loyal followers.
It's such an old story that no one even knows how long it's been in our family's possession.
Long enough that even this treasured heirloom eventually faded from memory.
Young Ayla
Wow... I didn't know our house had a place like this!
Oh, maybe there are still things here that belonged to the Pirate King!
...When I was little, I admired the Pirate King, so I was obsessed with searching the mansion for any trace of him.
Young Ayla
Huh? What's this box...?
Tucked away in the farthest corner of a dark storeroom, inside the oldest box, was an ornate sealed case.
It showed signs of once being sealed with several locks and magical wards...
But perhaps because so much time had passed, the locks had corroded and crumbled, and the writing on the magical seals had faded.
In the end, I was just a fearless, curious child... and I opened the box.
Inside, I found this map. And the moment I excitedly broke the wax seal bearing the Pirate King's crest...
Young Ayla
...Eek!
A brilliant light burst from the unfurling map and began to envelop me...
Young Ayla
Mom, Dad...! Please help me...
...And that was when the Pirate King's curse took hold of me.
Ayla
For the first few days, I was so ill I could barely open my eyes.
I came close to death several times, and even the best doctors my parents called in couldn't determine the cause.
I told my parents I'd unsealed the treasure map, and they began looking into the relic from then on.
So much time had passed that it had faded into a forgotten legend even within our own family.
After asking around, they eventually found a pirate who knew the story behind the treasure map.
The Pirate King buried all his treasure somewhere in Flora and left behind a map to its location.
To prevent anyone from finding it, he placed a curse on the map's seal that would slowly drain the life of whoever broke it.
To lift the Pirate King's curse, one must find the treasure he left behind and follow the curse-breaking instructions hidden inside...
So that's why you're still...?
Ayla
...Yes. It gets worse with each passing year.
Smile
Possibility of an illness or viral infection rather than a curse—
Ayla
Neither my parents nor I believed the old legend about a curse right away.
But even after I was examined by doctors all across Flora and even in NOA...
None of them could find the cause of my illness.
In the end, my mother and father decided to search for the Pirate King's treasure and left home.
By the time I'd recovered enough to be up and about again, all I could do was sit by the window and stare outside for hours.
I kept hoping my mother and father would come back someday, smiling brightly with a way to break the curse...
Ayla
...
But no matter how much time passed, they never came back...
When I finally couldn't bear it anymore and stepped outside my room, I overheard the servants talking...
They said my parents' ship had been wrecked while they were on their way to search for clues to the treasure...
Ayla
...In the end, something terrible happened to them because of me...
I could clearly picture Ayla, so young and frail, weighed down by a mysterious curse and the devastating news of her parents' fate.
Ayla
...For a while, I was lost in guilt and grief.
Just like before, I didn't set foot outside my room, and I kept every window shut...
For days, I skipped meals and cried myself to sleep from exhaustion...
...But one day, I went to close a window that had been left open, and the view outside caught my eye...
It was nothing special... but I found myself thinking, maybe I want to keep living after all.
...
So I posted a quest at Candle Square, looking for someone to accompany me on an adventure.
I'm physically weak, and... this would be my first adventure. I thought it would help to have someone by my side to guide me.
Then those pirates are...
Ayla
They call themselves successors to the legendary Pirate King.
Almost no one believed the story about the legendary treasure map I mentioned in my quest posting, but...
Ironically, those pirates did. They became pirates because they idolized the legendary Pirate King.
They're chasing me, saying the treasure should be theirs.
Ayla sat up resolutely and gave us an awkward smile.
Ayla
So I would like to formally request the Voyager Savior Party's help...
I'll do everything I can to avoid being a burden, so please help me find the Pirate King's treasure that can break my curse...!
I'm sure those pirates won't give up easily... I can't let them take the map without even putting up a fight...
If I let them win that easily, I could never face my parents after everything they did for me... So please...!
After hearing Ayla's heartbreaking story, I wanted to accept her quest without a second thought.
But a treasure hunt...
Smile
Even with a map, the target is an object hidden by pirates in the distant past.
How long this quest may continue... unknown.
Could Luna use astrology to find it?
Ayla
Come to think of it, Luna, you said you were Lavistar's greatest oracle and inheritor of the Moon Staff, right?
Then I need your help all the more! If you can't accept the quest... maybe you could do a reading to find the treasure's location...
Or... at least tell me whether I can break this curse at all...!
Please, I'm begging you!
Luna
Ngh... You mean... you want a reading... right?
Smile
Warning. Unreliable prophecy. Recommend not trusting it blindly.
Luna
Hey, enough with the "unreliable" stuff!
Ayla
Please, I'm begging you...!
Luna
W-wait...! Um... right, the fee!
I can't do a reading for free! And my fee's pretty steep, you know?
Ayla
I'll pay whatever you ask...!
Will this be enough?
Luna
S-seriously...?
Ayla
Yes, of course.
Smile
Our financial problems... solved this easily...?
Luna
...Hmm. Listen...
You seem pretty desperate, so I can do a reading for you...
But this isn't just for fun. It means peeking into fate itself.
If you take it lightly, you might not like how things turn out.
Ayla
Yes, I'm prepared... I'm not asking this lightly, either.
Luna
*Sigh...* All right. Then sit here for a moment.
Luna stood before Ayla, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
Luna
...
Luna
...!
Ngh...!
*Pant... pant...*
What's wrong, Luna?!
Luna
...
Luna!
Luna
...Oh, Captain...
...
Ah... It's nothing.
Maybe I'm just feeling a little... off? Ahaha.
Sorry, I guess I'm not in great shape right now. I don't know why, but I just can't seem to get a reading.
Ayla
Not working? Then... does that mean you couldn't see my future...?
Luna
Yeah! Sorry! Here, take your money back.
Ayla
L-Luna...
Smile
...Luna's complexion appears poor.
Luna
...
Luna?
Luna
...Ah, sorry.
...
Captain, I'm really not feeling well... Can I head back first?
Smile
Luna...
...I will help Luna back. Captain, stay and talk with Ayla.
Smile immediately helped the dazed Luna to her feet and headed back.
...Sorry. About the quest...
I'll talk it over with the others.
Ayla
...Thank you.
On the way back to our lodging, I glanced back and saw Ayla gazing sadly out at the distant sea.
Story and illustrations © Studio B-Side. An unofficial reading archive — for questions or requests, see the About page.