"Finding Arlexia's Light is a solid otome game, but I didn't like that last ending; the reverse harem ending. Anyone else? Like, the shopkeeper went from some robbed guy to a titled noblewoman, Lucina. There were so many plot changes that it felt like a different game. Plus, there wasn't an epilogue like the routes where you pick only one male capture target. Kinda feels incomplete. Would someone change that? All we got was the villainess Olivia being enslaved instead of killed like the other routes, she's sold to Lucina the shopkeeper, and then it fades to credits. Can someone make what happens next? I hope the true ending isn't as sad as the normal route ones. Can someone create a better ending?"
-review of "Finding Arlexia's Light" by Th3_Big_Z
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"Please help us."
***
Cicadas sang from the trees that dotted one of the cemeteries in Kujukuri, Japan while the sun was just starting to set and paint the sky red and orange. Three high school girls entered the cemetery, one of them held a bouquet of flowers and continued ahead while the other two waited a respectful distance back. The lone girl stopped in front of one of the graves and, after cleaning it off, placed down her bouquet and lit some incense.
"I'm back, Mom. It's Ayaka," the girl spoke while kneeling down in front of the grave. "I'm sorry I haven't been visiting as much recently. I was voted captain of the track team so I've been swamped with work and extra practice. Not to mention Sato-chan only just started doing the summer homework and has roped Hayashi-san and me into helping her finish it." Ayaka gave a bittersweet chuckle as she reported the latest happenings of her life to the grave. "Sato-chan's mom also reminded me that she'd never kick me out, even after I graduate, so you can rest assured I'm being taken care of. She always mentions that when she knows I'm coming down here so I can tell you not to worry about me." She waited in silence for a minute to allow her words to reach her mother. "Do you remember when I told you about Hayashi-san running for student council president? She won! When the results of the vote were shown she put on her stoic face for her speech, but as soon as we were alone she broke down in tears of joy. Sato-chan and I spent an hour getting her to calm down. Oh! Tanaka-kun and I went on another date to the amusement park! He's gotten even more muscul-…Ahem!" Ayaka cleared her throat as she suddenly got embarrassed over gushing about her boyfriend and muscle fetish to the grave.
"..." The wind gently brushed against Ayaka's long black hair, and some distant wind chimes sang a song.
"Yeah, it was a great time. I'm glad our feelings found each other's hearts. He also sends his blessings." Ayaka parsed her lips and paused. She didn't want to talk about the next thing to mention but also didn't want to leave her mother in the dark about it. "...They found Dad."
"..." The wind stopped and the chimes fell silent.
"The police down in Fukuoka got reports of a raving homeless man causing a disturbance outside a hotel. Apparently, Dad's mistress found someone new, took everything, and ran...just like they did to us." Ayaka's teeth clenched and her fingers wouldn't stop fidgeting. She fought off tears and steadied her breathing. "I...still don't know if I'm going down to see him. Sato-chan and Hayashi-san both say I shouldn't, but... I don't like leaving things like this."
"..." The wind picked up again, but more gently this time.
"Next time, I'll tell you my decision." Ayaka put her hands together and gave one last prayer before standing and returning to her friends.
"You good, Fukuda-chan?" Sato asked when she saw Ayaka's eyes holding back tears.
"Yeah," Ayaka said after taking a deep breath. "Let's head back."
"We should stop to eat, somewhere," Hayashi noted while looking at the train schedule on her phone.
"Then, let's get some comfort food!" Sato declared as she started heading towards the train station. "I have coupons!"
"Sure, some fast food sounds nice." Ayaka couldn't help but laugh as Hayashi rolled her eyes at them, once again, grabbing fast food for Sato. By the time the three friends made it to their usual spot in Tokyo, the sun was setting behind the skyline. "By the way, did you see that weird review of Finding Arlexia's Light, Hayashi-san?" Ayaka asked as she unwrapped her chicken sandwich.
"Which one?" Hayashi responded as she sipped her soda while writing something down in a notebook. She adjusted her glasses before adding, "That game has a lot of weird reviews, Fukuda-san."
"A new game?" Sato asked as she started eating from her large carton of fries.
"Don't talk with your mouth full, Sato-san," Hayashi idly chastised without looking up from her work. "And, yes, Finding Arlexia's Light is a new otome game Fukuda-san showed me."
"Is it trash?" Sato asked blatantly.
"Hey!" Ayaka put her chicken sandwich down at the insult.
"Yes." Hayashi's confirmation didn't help.
"Oh come on, it's not the worst I've shown you!" Ayaka protested.
"Correct," Hayashi glanced up from her notebook and blankly stated, "This one is surprisingly tame since you started your Boy's Love and Girl's Love kick; it's only got male leads and a female player character. It's also not +18 smut."
"Hayashi!" Ayaka's face reddened and she looked around nervously to see if anyone had overheard her.
"I thought you'd quit those trash games after you started going out with Tanaka-kun," Sato mused while munching on her fries completely unfazed by hearing her childhood friend's choice of genres. Even though they were living together, Sato always made sure to give Ayaka her personal space.
"I like trash!" Ayaka countered while trying to hide her blush at Tanaka's name being mentioned. "There's something enjoyable about it that makes me feel good! Plus, I don't want to hear about trash taste from someone who exclusively eats from fast food joints when we go out."
"Trash taste in food and trash taste in games are completely different standards!" Sato defiantly declared as she finished her fries and moved to start eating Hayashi's. Hayashi didn't seem to mind and she idly sipped her soda. "Besides, this is the only place with decent fries." Ayaka rolled her eyes at her friend and returned to eating her sandwich. "So, what's the latest trash about?"
"It's a typical otome game, for the most part," Ayaka explained between bites of the sandwich. "A country girl is discovered to be the Saintess of one of the setting's gods and goes to the noble's school in the capital of the empire. James the crown prince, Andrew the son of the wizard's tower owner, Solomon a rising priest, and Derik the older brother of the villainess are capture targets you can romance during the one year of school you get."
"Isn't that every otome game?" Sato asked with a confused look on her face while Hayashi unconsciously wiped the corner of Sato's mouth with a napkin to get some messy ketchup.
"Most of the fantasy ones," Ayaka admitted, "The thing about this one is that it points out some absurdities of otome games, in a way."
"Like what?"
"Like that, it's weird some country girl can become the crown princess despite the crown prince already having a fiancé and everyone being magically okay with it." Ayaka's finger lightly tapped her drink as she thought back to the game. "The villainess is the crown prince's fiancé and is killed for bullying the Saintess like in quite a few otome games, but Finding Arlexia's Light has epilogues showing what happens after the screen fades to black with the Saintess in the arms of the capture target. Since the villainess is the daughter of the western Duke, Richard Ordrin, their father rebels upon hearing the news of his daughter's death just because of bullying a country girl."
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
"What, all the routes end like that?"
"Yeah. No matter the capture target, Olivia is the main villainess and gets killed."
"But, the Duke fails." Hayashi took a quick break from her work to eat some fries before Sato ate them all and decided to join the conversation. "The royal family will always step in to put the Duke down with the help of the wizard's tower and two of the empire's other dukes. In doing so, a great schism forms in the empire leading to unrest and eventual collapse. No matter who the player chooses, the Empire of Arlexia falls because of it."
"Even with the villainess' older brother's route?" Sato asked as her fingers fought Hayashi's for the fries.
"For killing his sister, Derik is disinherited by the Duke," Ayaka said after chuckling at her friend's behavior. "So, the royal family steps in since Derik is the crown prince's right-hand man that he wants to control the duchy. Andrew's route is heavily tied to the wizard's tower who are all loyal to the royal family which gets them involved. And, Solomon's route causes strife in the temples since he tries to hide behind the temples like a shield, and the royal family swoops in to deal with the Duke while he's distracted. Solomon's the most hated character in the forum polls because of how much of a coward he is in his route."
"...Is there even a 'good' ending to this game?" Sato asked, bewildered at what she was hearing.
"Technically, the reverse harem ending is the closest we get to a 'good' ending. Though, that route is weird like the review I mentioned pointed out." Ayaka thought back to the night prior when she finished that ending and said, "Instead of one year, the player starts during the first of four years at the academy. Since it takes a year to win a capture target, you can get all four male leads."
"That seems like a lot of extra time to get drawn out. Is it all back-to-back romancing during that route?" Sato won the fries war.
"No, you actually get more lore about the world during that playthrough since you have extra time to explore and learn from the various classes you can attend. There's also a weird change that has to do with the shopkeeper you can buy items from to help win the hearts of the capture targets." Ayaka crumpled the straw wrapper in between her fingers to form a little ball. She tossed the paper ball at Sato who batted it away with their straw. "Their art changes from a hooded individual of ambiguous gender to a noblewoman in a student uniform."
"Someone important?"
"Dunno, the only lore we get on her is that there's a rumor she's a bastard child which still spreads despite being proven false, so she isn't in any major events because of that stigma. She only appears during the reverse harem route in the shop and at the end to take the villainess, Olivia, away; the Countess of Solfin, Lucina Sanguine."
"The shopkeeper's name is literally blood?" Sato missed the second paper ball Ayaka tossed at her.
"She's apparently a war hero despite being the same age as the player."
"...How old's the player?"
"In the reverse harem route, the Saintess starts at fourteen years old."
"Child soldier war heroes!?" Sato looked to Hayashi for confirmation. "Is this an otome game or a dark fantasy RPG?"
"No one ever said you can't be both," Hayashi replied as she finished her work and put her notebook away. "Either way, the story changes in multiple small ways like that which compound over the four in-game years until the reverse harem ending and Olivia Ordrin's enslavement by the crown prince. She's given to Lucina, who leaves with Olivia in toe, and the credits roll as the screen fades to black. No epilogue."
"Wait, did you actually play it, Hayashi-san? I thought you only put up with the trash Fukuda-chan shows you."
"I give good recommendations, too!" Ayaka tried to counter, but Hayashi and Sato weren't listening.
"...It has a good combat system," Hayashi sheepishly said while sipping her soda.
"Ah, right, you're a closet battle junkie." Sato gave Hayashi a pitiful look as she patted her friend's shoulder in understanding.
"..." Hayashi remained silent without refuting Sato.
"Actually, come to think of it," Sato stopped patting Hayashi as a thought came to her, "Where's Suzuki-chan? She plays trash too, right?"
"She said she was busy," Ayaka took out her phone and went to her messages with Suzuki.
"So, this is boyfriend number six?"
"Yup."
"I'd feel bad for her if I didn't know she was playing all those guys for free stuff," Sato groaned as she opened a fifth packet of ketchup to dip the fries into. "At this point, I'm just waiting for it to bite her in the ass."
"Who knows," Hayashi idly said, completely uninterested in Suzuki's antics. "By the way, Fukuda-san, is Tanaka-san not coming?"
"Unfortunately," Ayaka somberly replied as she went to his messages on her phone. "His grandparents are visiting the city from the countryside, so his family is getting together. But," she smiled softly at her phone, "we've got another date at the amusement park this weekend! I'm already planning it out."
"Fukuda-chan..." Sato put her hand on her heart in mock pain. "Please spare us single people from any more pain."
"A new roller coaster opened up! And we can win that one game with his favorite plushie!"
"We've already lost her, Sato-san." Hayashi wasn't even attempting to listen to Ayaka and started texting the members of the student council about work. "If you have your headphones, I'd start listening to some music."
"We shared cotton candy last time, but I think it's alright to do that again? We're tied in the shooting game, but I've been practicing."
"I left them at home," Sato begrudgingly admitted as she leaned back in her seat to suffer at the hands of her friend's love life.
"And, afterward, we can-"
"Fukuda-san, your hair," Hayashi interrupted Ayaka's babbling and pointed to the chicken sandwich.
"Hm? What the-!?!" Ayaka's long black hair had fallen and brushed against the chicken sandwich taking with it a noticeable blob of mayonnaise. "Oh, come on! I just did laundry!" She grabbed some napkins and did her best not to let her mayonnaise hair touch her clothes.
"You should really go back to tying your hair up like you used to," Sato remarked as she finished Hayashi's fries and started picking at Ayaka's. "You looked good with a high ponytail. Besides, you always put it up during track practice, Mrs. Team Captain."
"But Tanaka-kun said he liked my hair down," Ayaka mumbled as she finished cleaning her hair. "Ugh, it still feels greasy. Sato-chan, can I...borrow...?" Ayaka's words trailed off as she looked at her reflection in the window to clean the mayonnaise and noticed something outside.
"Fukuda-chan?" Sato looked up when her friend stopped talking. Ayaka's gaze was fixed on something out the window, and her expression was hardening. Following her gaze, Sato and Hayashi peered out the window, and Hayashi choked on her soda when they saw what Ayaka was looking at. Across the street were Tanaka and Suzuki holding hands while appearing to be going on a date.
"Fuku-...Fukuda-san!" Hayashi stammered out when she stopped coughing on her drink. The look on Ayaka's face was getting worse. "They-...They might just be shopping together?"
"Hayashi-san's right!" Sato also jumped in to try and calm down her childhood friend. The metal napkin dispenser on the table was starting to bend under Ayaka's tightening grip. "Why don't we send them a text and ask-!" As Sato tried to think of some way to de-escalate the situation, the point of no return happened. All three girls watched as Suzuki pulled Tanaka in for a kiss, which he eagerly returned. "That bit-Wait! Fukuda-chan!" Sato stopped herself mid-curse as Ayaka shot up from the table and started storming towards the door.
"Those..." When Ayaka reached the door, she practically kicked it down and bolted towards where Tanaka and Suzuki were. "Worthless pricks!" Her fists clenched until her knuckles turned white. The memory of when Tanaka confessed to her burned away in her mind like a photo tossed into a fire. Rage blurred her vision, along with the tears that started to fall from her face. Hayashi and Sato were running after her but couldn't keep up with the captain of the track team. The sidewalks were crowded, but Ayaka easily wove her way through and ran across the street without looking.
"Ayaka!" Sato's cry of horror was the last thing Ayaka heard before the screeching of tires and the blare of a truck horn drowned out the world.
***
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...What...happened? Why am I looking at the sky? I have to punch Suzuki in the mouth and give Tanaka a piece of my mind. I can't be lying down. Wasn't I running just now?... Ugh...Why can't I move my arms?
"Ay..a!" There was a screaming voice, but it sounded so distant I could barely hear it.
"...?" I tried to turn towards that voice. Why won't my head move?
"Fuku.a! H..g on! An...bulanc...comi..!" Was that Hayashi? Her voice was muffled, making it hard to hear, but I could recognize her voice since it was so distinct. Then, the first voice must've been Sato.
"Aya..!" Yeah, only Sato calls me Ayaka. But, weren't they just behind me? Why do they sound so far away? "A..ka!" A blurry shape moved in front of my vision. I think it's Sato since her hot pink hair makes her stick out like a sore thumb. My vision moved as she turned my head which gave me a better look at where I was. Even blurred, I recognized the Tokyo skyline, but I was now in the middle of an intersection judging by where the traffic lights were. There was also what I can only assume to be a large truck that was stopped a few meters away. The truck was white, but its front had an unmistakable red stain on...Oh...
"..." I was the stain on the truck.
"Sat....n! Hold her.....ike thi.!" Hayashi was instructing Sato on how to hold me, and I saw Sato's blurry hands grab my head. I couldn't feel her hands. Then again, I couldn't feel anything. Everything was just cold.
"..." The blurriness of the world was getting worse, and I couldn't make out Sato or Hayashi's voices. To think, I'd end up hit by a truck after seeing my boyfriend kissing one of my friends. Suzuki and Tanaka...I hope Sato at least snapped a photo of them being all lovey-dovey so they'll both be ruined later... Why...do I always end up abandoned?
"Would you like to change that?"
"...?" Great, now I'm hearing a strange voice. I thought I was supposed to have my life flash before my eyes when I died, but all I get is some weird voice? At least let me see my mom one last time!
"While I cannot do that, I can give you a place that won't abandon you. A place within my prized Arlexia."
Of all things to think about in my final moments, why am I thinking about that otome game? Was my life so pointless that the only noteworthy thing my brain could come up with is showing me the shitty romance games I've played? If I still could cry, I would.
"Yes, shitty. It deserves a better ending. And so do you."
At least this voice was being considerate to me, I guess? Also, the last ending to Finding Arlexia's Light wasn't even complete, what would I even do?
"Would you change that?"
What, make something after that lackluster ending?
"Can you make what happens next?"
But, in the epilogues of the other endings, the western Duke rebels after his daughter's death, and the empire falls apart from the infighting. Would that lackluster ending's epilogue be different?
"Can you create a better ending?"
...Sure. If my final thoughts are going to be about bargaining with a voice to brainstorm an ending to an otome game in exchange for love, then sure. I could make a better ending after those credits roll, so long as I don't get left behind, anymore.
"That will depend on you, Stolen Soul."
Stolen Soul? Wait...why is it...getting hard...to..stay...awake...am...I...dy...ing...
"Stolen Soul, may you find what you are looking for in my Arlexia. Though you will face great hardship and pain for what you desire, you will never be truly abandoned so long as you are willing to sacrifice for my Arlexia's future."
***
"Will they do it?" A barn made of old wood and rusty hinges squeaked its doors to ask its question.
"They will have my help. They will be fine," a sword whose blade was the color of the cosmos shimmered a response.
"You know that won't be enough," a cloud of black water bubbled.
"While chosen, I feel they may need more," a small fire crackled from a fireplace. "But, if we diverge too much, nothing will be known."
"Which is why the Stolen Soul will not be alone," a massive eye whose pupil was an unknowable obelisk blinked as it stared down at the other four. "A lily must be protected in its garden even when the gardener is out."
"What will you do?" the barn creaked.
"Lest we forget, there was another who was mentioned. I shall plant a briar around the lily," the eye briefly closed before opening, again.
"..." The fire dimmed.
"Does that upset you?" the eye blinked.
"I just hope the lily accepts the briar," the fire swayed.
"That will depend on the Stolen Soul... So..." The eye squinted as it pondered before thinking aloud, "Since it was never shown, it will never conflict." A confident glint appeared in the eye as the idea took root. "See to it what has been seen shall come to pass. My Arlexia's future depends on the Stolen Soul, and the one that will stand next to them shall be both a catalyst and their reward. Now, I shall prepare the briar."