What's happening?

Where am I?

Who was I?

I felt... strange. As if I were in a dream, but not entirely. Sensations were blurry, distorted, as if my mind were enveloped in a thick mist. But the image before me, even if it was part of that limbo, felt incredibly real. And something about it... something struck me with a strange nostalgia, both painful and beautiful.

It was a meadow. Green, with a soft sun filtering through some clouds.

"Sniff... Sniff... Sniff..."

And on the ground, a small child, sitting with his head between his knees, crying. The sound of his sobs was almost inaudible to me, but I could feel the despair in them.

"Found you!!"

Then, she appeared. A girl, almost identical to the boy, with the same messy hair and lively eyes.

Though strangely, I couldn't comprehend or rather recognize her face despite understanding her expression.

"Are you crying again?!"

She said with a voice that sounded full of impatience.

"I can't help it, Grandma died!"

The boy lifted his head, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"That's life, and we have to move on!"

The girl replied, looking at him, her voice trying to sound strong and loud despite how forced it sounded.

"Why are you always so optimistic?!"

The boy cried out, full of anger and sadness, only to stop when he saw the girl's expression. Despite always being the strong one, the optimistic one, the one who pushed him to keep going, she was shedding tears.

"Because that's what she taught us!!"

She cried with small, silent drops running down her cheeks as her voice broke into sobs.

"Fool, idiot, stupid!!"

Seeing that, the boy lowered his head, his rage evaporating, leaving only guilt.

"...I-I'm... Sniff... Sorry..."

"...I forgive you."

She replied with a trembling, calmer voice, approaching the boy.

I really don't understand, why?

Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, WHY?!!

That scene... it felt so beautiful, so intensely nostalgic, yet at the same time, an extremely sad pang pierced through me. I felt like a mere spectator, trapped in a memory that seemed mine, but wasn't.

WHY DO I FEEL LIKE THIS?

"...Hey... at least try to look on the bright side... Please?"

My confused thoughts stopped when I heard the girl speak, still with misty eyes.

"...Can that really help?"

The boy looked at her, still frowning in pain.

"Of course it can, because after all, we only have one life! That's why we have to live it to the fullest!!"

"...Personally, I'd prefer to live a quiet, normal life."

After hearing that answer, the girl smiled genuinely this time, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

"That's why you should think positive, little brother!"

At those words, the boy finally got up from the ground, wiping his tears with the back of his hand as a faint smile appeared on his face.

"And you should be a little more negative, sister."

After that, the girl extended her hand, which he took as the sun peeked over the meadow's horizon.

"In this situation, I think you know what I'm going to say, right!"

"Yes, I know."

Both looked at each other with smiles on their faces, gazing at the horizon.

"Then... Let's do it!"

"Then... Let's do it!"

Both said at the same time in perfect synchronicity.

"LET'S PLAY!!"

With those words, they walked together hand in hand, as the sun ascended, and a distant sound, that of a truck, began to invade the scene, blurring into an aurora of colors.

And then...

"Aaaargh!!"

.... I woke up with a scream.

Where am I?!

Why does it hurt so much?!

"... ugh... Cough, cough...!"

What was that? What just happened? Trying to remember why my body was so sore or how I got here, in a panic I tried to get up only to fall in the attempt.

"How... did we get to this...?"

Do you know?

Let's see, if I remember correctly, I was fighting some vampires in the middle of the night when... I remembered!!

Out of nowhere a damned dragon appeared, starting a battle to the death, and then at the last moment, that rain of attacks fell from the sky!

At that moment, I remember stopping my attack at the last moment to protect the nearby straw dolls in danger, taking the full impact.

Which means....

"Silver!! Are you okay?!"

("Ma... Ma...")

That Silver also took the impact!!

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!"

("I'm... Fi... Ne...")

.... I should have considered Silver when taking the impact.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

I should have thought of other ways to fight...

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry."

I should have stayed home!!

(Slap!!)

("....")

"Huh...? Gol-...die?"

("Mom is not to blame!!")

"What are you...?"

("Fight, get up, live!!")

"What?!"

("It's what Mom says!!")

"B-but... Silver is damaged, and... We have no strength left..."

I'll be frank, though Goldie's outburst surprised me, I still don't have the strength to run or fight right now... I can't do... Anything...

("What's broken!!")

However, Goldie refused to give up, releasing an intense glow from her body while transmitting a great will.

"Goldie, wh-what are you...?"

("It gets fixed!!")

"This feeling... Impossible?!"

("RESONANCE!!")

(Flash!!)

With those words, light began to envelop Silver and me as I watched the cracks caused by that dragon glow with the light of fine golden threads that began to restore Silver, sealing the cracks.

"My strength... It's returning, no, that's not all, it's even increasing!"

I never expected this new and vibrant sensation of explosive power giving me the strength to get back on my feet while I felt a cape materialize behind my back!

("Mom!!")

"....."

("Let's play!!")

"!!"

.... Haa... I really... I feel so proud now...

("Recovered!!")

"Silver!!"

("Mom! Rematch!!")

Even Silver feels the same, huh?

"You're right... We definitely haven't lost!"

.... I guess I'd been forgetting it lately, hadn't I?

"You're really right!"

Back then I had said I would enjoy this life to the fullest and... Yet... All this time I preferred to run away...

"Let's hit him with everything we've got!!"

But... Sometimes there are things you can't run from, or rather, things I refuse to run from!!

"Are you ready, girls?!"

("LET'S GO!!")

("YESSS!!")

"Let's start by enjoying ourselves to the fullest, beginning with this fight!"

I'm really excited!!

It's okay to go crazy for this moment!! Right?!

I think those words are truly perfect now, I'M GOING TO PLAY ALL OUT!!