Conflicting Planetary Duet (Bow)
| Conflicting Planetary Duet (Bow) | |
|---|---|
| Date of Cutscene: | 06 October 2024 |
| Location: | Woods of Tokyo |
| Synopsis: | Bow, feeling the loss of his home, heads into the woods around Tokyo to see if he has the instincts... and finds they have changed, and he is not the same as he was six months ago. |
| Cast of Characters: | Bow |
Bow crouches low, his fingers nocking an arrow with the same fluid precision he’s used a thousand times before. The soft rustle of leaves and the whispering wind through the trees of this dense Tokyo forest are familiar now, but they lack the pulse of magic he longs for. It's been over six months since he was plucked from Etheria and dropped into the overwhelming maze of modern-day Tokyo, and even the quiet isolation of the woods can’t fill that void.
His heart beats steadily, his breath controlled as he lines up his shot. A deer grazes peacefully in a clearing just ahead, its graceful movements undisturbed by his presence. It should be easy; he's hunted for survival, for necessity, countless times in Etheria. Yet, as he pulls back the string of his bow, something stops him.
The world around him seems to hold its breath, the arrow poised at full draw. His sharp eyes, trained for battle and survival, narrow on the deer's sleek form. But instead of the calm focus he’s always felt, doubt creeps in. The longer he aims, the more uneasy he becomes.
With a soft exhale, Bow lowers his weapon. He feels an unexpected weight pressing on his chest. Back in Etheria, hunting was often a necessity, part of the natural order. Here, with food so easily accessible, he wonders if it’s even his place anymore to take this life.
He watches the deer, its innocence in stark contrast to the arrows at his fingertips. In Etheria, there was always the balance of nature and magic, the understanding of give and take. But in this place, this world of convenience, where vending machines (sometimes youma possessed) line the streets, and every corner holds the promise of an easy meal; hunting feels like theft.
It feels like robbing the world of something precious.
He straightens, his hand dropping the arrow back into its quiver. The deer, oblivious to the near threat, continues to graze, moving deeper into the woods as Bow lets it go. His chest tightens, a mixture of relief and guilt swirling in his mind. He’s tried to reconnect with Etheria out here in these woods, tried to live off the land and rely on his skills again. But the truth is undeniable: this world isn’t Etheria, and he can’t escape its grip, no matter how deep into the wilderness he goes.
Bow stands there for a long moment, the sun setting behind him, casting long shadows through the trees. Maybe it isn’t about survival anymore, he realizes. Maybe it’s time to let go of that instinct. As he walks back toward the city, his bow slung over his shoulder, he knows he’ll have to find another way to connect with the world he misses so much. Because no matter how far he runs into the wild, Tokyo isn’t Etheria.
