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DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A FANMADE PROJECT NOT ASSOCIATED WITH TOWER OF FANTASY, HOTTA STUDIOS OR PERFECT WORLD GAMES

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MEMORY FRAGMENTS

IRL scrapbook/collaging project, featuring commissioned pieces!
Click to expand. Artists credited in the captions.

ORIGINAL ART

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Welcome to your company issued Dream Machine!

By allowing users to experience a high degree of lucidity in their dreams, this device is capable of improving sleep, as well as providing more memorable and immersive dreams.

Select a dream to immerse yourself in below.

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\ Truth Among The Stars \

a cool summer breeze dances through Domain 9’s foliage, lifting golden lanterns high into the night sky.encoded with your deepest wish, you watch your lantern ascend, mingling playfully with the dozens of others rising alongside it. a gentle current sweeps it above the rest. somehow, this brings you relief. as far as you’re concerned, the truth is safer among the stars.warm laughter and eager chatter fills the air; hope spreads like wildfire among those looking skyward. shirli stands to your left, eyes closed and hands clasped at her chest, somewhere between pleading and prayer. ming jing is to your right, eyes fixed on the twinkling lights overhead, as though he might find salvation in the glow.---the crowds clear out significantly following the lantern ceremony, but the festivities are not over just yet. folks congregate around tea stands and food vendors to satiate their evening cravings, while some of the merchandise vendors begin packing up.as the three of you make your way towards the night market, a group of children dart past you. you aren’t sure where they’re headed, nor whether they should be accompanied by an adult. immediately you notice ming jing pick up the pace in his stride, realizing he probably wants to follow them - just to be safe. wordlessly, you and shirli match his speed and tail behind the youngsters.the sound of music in the distance becomes clearer with each step. you start to wonder if the children are trying to find the source. it becomes obvious that’s the case when you spot the musicians in question, a group with traditional instruments playing together under a canopy. one child looks back at the others with excitement and beckons them forward, skipping to the lute’s rhythmic strums.the musicians, who appear to be elders of the community, are playing to an audience of none - yet their enthusiasm is unwavering. the masterful performance captivates the youngsters, and they begin to dance in a circle beside the musicians. the lute and viola players glance at each other, beaming with delight, and play with even more fervor.shirli looks between you and ming jing, grinning from ear to ear. ming jing’s body language shifts, his worries easing knowing the children are safe, and the corners of his lips curl into a smile.
you can’t recall how long you stared - but you’re distracted by the voice of a young boy, running up to shirli with his hand extended.“come dance! come dance! please, pretty miss!”shirli’s eyes light up, chuckling from both surprise and flattery. you nod to encourage her, and after a beat of contemplation, she takes his hand and follows him back to the group of youths.the boy grabs both of shirli’s hands, skipping and spinning with her to the song’s steady rhythm. the other children surround them at once. pleasant chords swirl around them as they all appear to be having a wonderful time.a low, warm chuckle from ming jing nearly unsteadies you, your knees threatening to give out at a moment’s notice. he watches in amusement with folded arms, smiling to himself.this is not the cold and stoic man who saved you in Astra. in fact, you realize this version of zeke seems closely aligned with the memories shirli shared with you of his youth. you feel a flood of warmth rush to your head.despite the changes, you still find yourself drawn to him. perhaps even more than before. It doesn’t help that he actually seems to enjoy your company these days - a stark comparison to the past. but you were always able to discern his good intentions, even if he spoke to you crassly.those intentions never wavered. even as a stranger to him, twice. It was a great example of his character, but perhaps it was also fate…your train of thought is broken as shirli returns, grabbing your wrist.“let’s dance!” she insists, leaving you little choice but to join her alongside the children.“but I don’t know how—““you don’t have to!” shirli assures you, taking both of your hands like the young boy did with her. “just spin with me!”before you know it, the two of you are skipping clockwise together; the children have joined hands and are spinning alongside you. the world becomes a haze of warm lights and pleasant sounds, and the only thing clear is shirli giggling, eyes closed to avoid getting too dizzy.that’s a smart decision, you think, and you shut your eyes tight in hopes of reversing the onset. you let the music guide you, trying to have faith that you won’t collide with the children.instead, shirli seamlessly passes you off to a child - a young girl in the group, whose small hands you struggle not to crush. the girl laughs gleefully, pigtails bouncing, putting her full trust in you to keep the spinning going. after gauging where your feet are and recalibrating, you close your eyes again and let muscle memory do the rest.you aren’t sure how many rotations you’d done before noticing your hands. they felt different - clammy, and gripped with a force way too strong for a child. you open your eyes in confusion and what you see causes you to misstep instantly.a confused and red-faced ming jing, hanging on for dear life.in an instant, he grabs halfway up your forearms and jerks you forward, preventing the fall you thought was inevitable. at this point, you’re more startled by the strength of his hands than the potential disaster you narrowly avoided.pupils like saucers, your gazes meet. unsurprisingly, concern is written all over his face. “are you okay?”you nod solemnly and his expression softens. his hands slide down, fingers slatting in between yours. miraculously, you’re still spinning; he must have kept the tempo.you watch in awe as his eyes dart around, taking in the scenery. the world around you melts away. He shakes the hair out of his face, revealing a soft grin. you lose track of the music and pacing, yet put your full trust in his guidance.after awhile, there’s clapping. the ensemble finishes their performance and are met with cheers, the likes of which they hadn’t heard in years. ming jing slows you to a halt, yet everything keeps spinning around you. your instability is obvious, and he steadies you with a palm against your back. it makes things worse, but you pull yourself together, as you need not worry him any more.shirli regroups with you two, happy to wait out your dizziness - even offering to fetch you candied ginger for nausea. saliva bubbles in your mouth and it tastes like shame. had she any idea what you thought of her brother, perhaps she would not extend such kindness.you swallow it down and smile at her, letting her know you’ve recovered enough to proceed.---reaching the end of the festival with trinkets and treats in tow, shirli turns to you both. “tonight was wonderful. I’m so glad we got to spend it together.” ming jing nods in agreement for his own reasons, but the weight of her words is not lost on you. “shall we head back and get some rest?”ming jing glances over his shoulder at the dwindling crowd, then back to you. “I promised Uncle Zhong I would help him tear down after vending tonight.”of course, he always has his hand in something. he motions up the hill towards Ignisville Mansion, encouraging you to go without him. “I won’t be joining your walk home. but please, be safe, and rest well.”you bid him farewell and begin the trek back to your accommodations. those few hours by his side suddenly felt like mere minutes. in shirli’s silence, you find she feels the same. for as long as you sought him, only getting to see him in short intervals seems to sting worse than the long absence.parting ways with shirli at the mansion, you gaze over the vast landscape of Domain 9 from the balcony, scanning the now-empty festival grounds for any signs of life. you look to the heavens and it doesn’t offer you what you want, either.it will take you awhile to stop searching for him in everything. but for now, it’s all you know.

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\ breaking point \

“If you have no further questions, you can proceed to the terminal.” Plotti stares at you expectantly while you pause in contemplation. Despite the Authorizer on rotation’s cold demeanor, it is clear she understands the scope of your responsibility, and intends to prepare you as thoroughly as possible.Having already gotten answers about your own Authorizer role, from the system backdoor to the simulation’s impermanence, you cannot conjure up anything else to inquire about.
Your mind is elsewhere, after all.You shake your head. “That will be all. I’m ready.” The words fall from your lips, but there is no confidence behind them. Somehow, your trustworthy facade works well enough to seem convincing.Plotti takes a few steps back. Glancing briefly between you and Zeke, she nods. “At your own pace.” The sliding bay door opens and she excuses herself, disappearing swiftly behind it.Silence hangs in the air, spare for the digital chatter of machines and your heartbeat echoing in your ears. Your gaze remains fixed ahead, unable to bring yourself to look elsewhere. It begins to sink in now more than ever what you must do, and all that is at stake.Everything that led you to this point replays in your mind - every realm traveled, obstacle overcome, battle fought and won. For the briefest moment, the collage of memories fortify you, filling you with hope and determination.But all it takes is a hushed, weighty sigh from Zeke to send your house of cards falling.Your eyes flicker to him, watching him shift his weight. It’s apparent he is still processing the harrowing truth that Plotti delivered - there is no way of knowing whether Shirli was still alive, or if she would survive this in the end. Knit brows and pursed lips show the usually stoic man wrought with emotion. The display turns your stomach.It makes sense why he accompanied you today. But right now, you almost wish he hadn’t. Saying goodbye, even if only temporarily, adds another complicated layer to this pivotal moment.Your nerves get the best of you, and you start to tremble. If you don’t go forth now, you just might back out.Turning to him, your breath catches.“Zeke.” How foreign and bittersweet it is to call him that — a name that long brought you solace, yet one he has only just begun to reclaim. “Please…take care of Shirli.” You glance past him at the grim sight of her unconscious body, suspended behind the glass.Eyes brimming with sorrow and remorse, he meets your gaze.“How I wish I could take your place.” His deep voice wavers, gravelly and barely above a whisper. “I’m sorry.”The image of him lying there in Claire’s lab, attempting to reach Shirli through his own uploaded consciousness, is seared into your mind. How terrified you were to even let him try in the first place. How your nerves frayed when he wouldn’t wake up. How, despite giving every last part of yourself in hopes of reuniting the siblings, it never felt like you could do enough.“Don’t worry,” you begin, straining against everything within you to even your own voice. “I won’t lose my way…”The last word trails off, and your throat begins to close. Heat rises to your face. Molten tears sting your eyes and threaten to cascade down your cheeks.


What if you fail him?

“I’ve been thinking--”You want to tell him everything. The stories Shirli shared of his youth and how you wished desperately you could have gotten to know him then. How it felt to see his face again when you arrived in Domain 9. The way you wished on every star for another chance to stand by his side, no matter what future strife you would encounter together.Of course, you’ve grown to love Shirli deeply. But this is for him. The truth is, it was always for him, and the promise of a future where you can finally repay the kindness he showed you in your darkest hour.The promise of bringing him happiness — even if it costs your life.Your knees buckle and he takes notice, eyes widening and arms extending like a reflex to steady you. His fingertips graze your shoulder, and it disarms you entirely. You fall forward against his chest, knocking him back a couple of steps. Wretched sobs escape you as you wrap your arms around his waist, pulling your bodies together like an atom collider.“Wh—what….” He’s blindsided, standing there frozen, looking down at you in utter disbelief.You desperately try to form words through your weeps, gasping for breath, working yourself into hyperventilation...but when he manages to unthaw, his first instinct is to protect you.