1.0Perpetual Daydreamshttps://perpetualdaydreams.comSleepchaserhttps://perpetualdaydreams.com/author/cherriepo/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="Dqzxyv9BQ0"><a href="https://perpetualdaydreams.com/novel/nhad/nhad-0/">NHAD Prologue – A Conversation</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://perpetualdaydreams.com/novel/nhad/nhad-0/embed/#?secret=Dqzxyv9BQ0" width="600" height="338" title="“NHAD Prologue – A Conversation” — Perpetual Daydreams" data-secret="Dqzxyv9BQ0" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); /* ]]> */ </script> In front of my eyes is a pure-white space, stretching far, far away to who knows where. There’s nothing else—just an expanse of white. I float about in it. Before me is a woman in pale tones, who is also floating along. She’s wrapped in soft, pure white cloth, her garments fluttering, a twirling design entwining her body. The only spot of color to be found on her body was the subtle pink of her lips, cheeks and eyes. She’s extremely beautiful, a gentle smile on her face. However, there’s this one thing: the woman possesses impossible and otherworldly body parts. Sprouting from her back are large white wings. Each time they move, sparkles and beads of light dance through the air. “…Well.” What the heck. I wonder if I’m dreaming. No, this is a dream. No doubt about it. Despite this, if I have to say so myself, this dream is weird. For some reason, the incredibly divine woman narrows her cherry-blossom-toned eyes, tilting her head with a grin. “We finally meet. I am the goddess called Crouture.” “Huh?!” It spoke! That surprises me. I mean, did this person just refer to herself as a “goddess?’ Wow. You can actually call yourself a goddess. Although I’m of the opinion that role-playing is an individual freedom, that’s some next-level courage right there… “Excuse me. Hello? Are you listening? I wonder if he heard me… It can’t be helped. Shall we do this again? We finally meet. I am the goddess called Crouture.” “The goddess, Crouture?” “Correct.” Then she smiles, her pale hair swaying slightly. Goddess? Are you serious? How so? Though, it’s true that she’s carrying genuine feathers on her back. A lovely symmetrical face. A perfect ethereal body. Not to mention, her inexplicable coloring. “Ah.” How curious. I feel as if I had met this self-proclaimed goddess somewhere before. White wings. Long, pale, and fluffy hair. Light pink eyes. White attire coupled with an affectionate smile. Then it hits me. That’s right. That’s it! In this game that I have been so addicted to, so much so that I’ve played it four times, there’s a goddess character. And she resembles this goddess to a staggering extent.  The title of this game is “Arcadia. Countless hearts were kindled in this world of sword and magic. Even so, it’s a story-oriented RPG that develops a world view and a heavy plot, the latter which seems to have been kneaded in like clay. The system direction is built intently in a reliable manner, garnering a favorable impression. As for the level of difficulty, while many games can be cleared without a sweat, this one reigns at the top of its class in how challenging it is. Fighting properly requires considerable thought. If you don’t act, you won’t be able to defeat your opponent, nor will you be able to rescue someone in need of help. Well, the feeling of achievement when I clear a part is great, though.  If I had to summarize the story, it goes like this: A vagrant boy with nothing but the clothes on his back makes his way to a small, border village. The boy had blond hair, sky-blue eyes, and pale skin. In this country, such traits were rare, whereas tawny hair and brown eyes were commonplace. Within the tiny village, there was a small orphanage ran solely by an aging nun. There, the nun took care of children who had lost their parents to sickness or war. She accepted the boy without relatives and raised him. Several years passed. The boy was now eighteen years old. There were three large countries on the continent. In order to hold the world in the palm of his hands, the king of one of those countries summoned the Demon King. However, the summoned Demon King proved to be too strong. His power spread throughout the continent, rousing the surrounding magical beasts from their slumber. The ferocious monsters began to attack the villages and towns one by one. The demon’s army proceeded to invade the neighboring countries in succession. Countless people died. The earth shook. Then, one day… …A beautiful young nun arrived at that small village alone. She was dispatched to attend to the aged former nun and study under her. Like that boy, the girl also had blond hair and sky blue eyes. Using her healing powers freely and extending her arms without distinction, the kindhearted girl became known by everyone as the Holy Maiden. That small village was at peace, until one night. At last, a crowd of demons arrived. The villagers who lived day to day could not oppose those dreadful demons that grew ever more ferocious. The villagers were slain one after the other. That night was a terrible tragedy. Only the boy and the girl survived that horrific event. They had received God’s blessing, drawing the blood of the old nation. The two held divine and extraordinary power, battling through the night to protect the village. However, the demon forces were overwhelming in number. Even the old nun and the other children she had raised like siblings died. The majority of the villagers were exterminated. Eventually, the whole village was set ablaze. Just about everything burnt to a crisp and the village was no more. The boy lost everything. With regret toward everyone locked in his chest and bent on destroying the Demon King, the boy and the girl embarked on a journey— That’s the heroic and fantasy-like story. What happens next is as follows: he travels the world gathering comrades, overthrows the king of the evil country, defeats the Demon King, keeps close to the Holy Maiden, and reaches the ending. What an old-fashioned fantasy! The feeling really hits me. And then the Hero will, I, will save everyone in the world! It’s a good thing I don’t have an impatient personality. I watch everything indifferently, watch as the severe reality unfolds. I didn’t go as far as becoming a dark hero, just a hero who was somewhat shady. I was totally addicted. I even completed all the side quests. Several endings were available. Your actions affected which ending you received. I was finally able to see the true ending, which was criticized for setting its conditions too strict. The survival of all the characters served as the absolute requirement. After locating and assembling each of the thirteen goddesses’ individual blessed items, the goddesses would supervise the Great Goddess Trials. Once those were conquered, you would receive the strongest sword to defeat the true final boss. Only then would you pull the true ending. This was quite arduous. The enemy who came forward was incredibly strong. As such, even though my level was maxed, I could have still lost if I wasn’t paying attention. Another problem was that the goddess who appeared from time to time was philosophical and difficult to deal with. In order to gain the world’s strongest sword, thirteen goddesses must bestow their desired items. However, the conditions to acquire the items were unusual and strict. First, you must speak to an NPC that appeared in whatever place at whatever time. Then you must repeat this with the next NPC on the list. If the items didn’t pop out from any of the NPCs, then that meant you made a mistake. If you made a mistake or if the events were interrupted, you must load a previous save file. A single blunder would call for a total restart. There were a lot of events that consumed real time, testing my perseverance and endurance. Therefore, the sense of accomplishment and fatigue from clearing were amazing. “Excuse me… Hello? Excuse me, are you listening?” I sigh. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you. Well, what is it?” The goddess looks at me, sighing in regret.　 “So you were not listening… That is too bad. It cannot be helped. I will say it again, so please listen carefully. Is that okay? I implore you. Please?” “Ah, yes. Sorry. One more time, please.” The goddess recovers, clearing her throat in the process. “Well, I will repeat myself: I beseech you. Please save the world.” I remain silent for several seconds, before saying, “Excuse me?” I feel as if I had been told something that is quite commonly the start to a lot of games. Is it just my imagination? Yeah. That must be it. Besides, this is all a dream. “Yeah. I say, I’m watching a strange dream unfold… It’s probably because I stayed up late last night playing games.” “No. This is not a dream,” she says immediately. “No no no. It is a dream. It’s impossible no matter how you think about this.” “That’s why I am saying it is not a dream.” “Huh? I see. Still, you… Aren’t you the goddess from that game?” “Wrong! Although it is true I resemble that goddess to a great extent, to say that is kind of…” “Huh? How could that be? You look just like her.” “No. We are different. Although she takes after me, we are not the same. I will return to my story. At any rate, I must take the divine promotion exam this time.” “Promotion exam?” …What the heck. What a sudden development. I can’t read where this story is going at all. Well, dreams are usually incoherent. I mean, what the heck’s a divine promotion exam? I wonder if it’s similar to a certification examination. To be required to take tests, even the gods of this world have it hard. Yeah, yeah. “The final exam consists of creating one of the first worlds capable of governing itself.” “Wow.” “But… creating a world is so, SO hard. My upperclassmen struggle, failing over and over again. Some have failed over a hundred times.” “One hundred times. That’s a bit too unsuccessful.” “Agreed. I think so too. And so, I have a deity friend who likes games. She recommended the game titled “Arcadia” to me. It’s one of my favorites.” Arcadia! “Ah! That! I also played it! It’s good, isn’t it? It really gives the feeling of ‘this is how kings are made!’” “Isn’t that right? The game has a good old-fashioned and traditional feeling!” “Yes! Yes!” Oh, I actually have a kindred spirit in such a place! I’m happy! “Because I enjoyed the plot and the world view of “Arcadia” so much, I decided to model a world after it.” “Ohhhh! That’s great! Sounds good!” “Indeed, indeed! Surely it will be a wonderful world! Well, that’s what I thought…” The goddess’ expression turns dark and cloudy. “…World creation is truly a challenging miracle. Despite using my full power to create it perfectly… no matter how many times I reset or remake it, the world neither conforms to the events within that game nor does it follow the storyline…” “Hm.” “Why is this so…?” “Well. I don’t understand it either. If the world you create can’t be identical to the one in the game, then it can’t be helped.” “It cannot be helped, huh?” “Yep. People’s hearts are complex. Even though their circumstances are identical, they will not necessarily think the same as the characters within the game. Just a trivial thing, something small, can change people’s feelings.” “Yes… I see. It is as you say. I also feel the same toward the exam. Still, I cannot give up. By all means, I want to guide this lovely world that I have created. I do not want to lose it. I want to protect it. That is why, please, may you provide your assistance? Please, save this world.”  “Save the world.” Wow. Such an event is too magnificent. The back of my neck itches. I don’t think I should agree to her demands, though. Shouldn’t this task be given to someone who’s young and idealistic? Not someone who’s exhausted from job hunting like me. Such a line should be said to an amazing person with charisma. Like, a person who looks...https://perpetualdaydreams.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ko-fi-button-300x135.png