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Shining Nikki - Designer's reflection Memory: Calamity Lava

Full transcript babeyyy this is such a long post ill probably get a google doc for these in the future. Or like tomorrow whenever I feel motivation tbh.

Obviously if you have and are comfortable spending the $50-$60 on this card that is your right. This is for anyone who doesn't have that but still wants to know more about Leonid and the Ark.

I'll be doing the same for Nikki and Aeon/Marina reflections and the event story. lore should be shared.

>player choices are like this<

1. Calamity Lava

Leonid: You've arrived, visitor. Since you made it here, it means the Ark is facing chaos like never before.

>Oh, you knew?<

Player: Oh, you knew? So you're aware that Marina and Aeon are...

Leonid: Chaos tends to reveal hidden truths, and you're now standing before the very origin the two Ark administrators have been seeking—the answer to all their questions. This is the memory of the Ark, and of their creation.

Once, a human entered the Ocean of Memories. he sought beauty and knowledge across the Star Sea and rebuilt the faith in the pursuit of truth from the depths of the Abyss.

He learned everything there was to know, gaining powers that transcended gods and mortals. His presence became a threat to the ruler of the Star Sea, igniting a war among the gods.

The war between the old and new gods swept across the Ocean of Memories, causing countless stars to fall. Miraland's civilization was caught in the crossfire, fading away as the battles raged.

Eventually, the war came to an end, at the cost of a god's sacrifice.

This is the story you already know.

Now, I stand on this barren battlefield, gazing at the silent ruins. the sea, devoid of starlight, feels lifeless, with only faint shadows drifting on its surface.

>Why haven't you left?<

Player: Leonid, why haven't you left?

Leonid: Beneath this desolation and silence, something seems to be brewing.

I hear a faint tremor, and the water around my feet begins to ripple.

Suddenly, molten lava bursts from the seabed, and waves of scorching heat spread across the dark sea. the water hisses and roars as it evaporates and vanishes.

>What's happening?!<

Player: What's happening?!

Leonid: Just as I expected. The Ocean of Memories' order is unraveling, and if it collapses, it will lead to complete destruction.

Player: Destruction?! But the war of the gods ended, didn't it?

Leonid: The collapse of order is like a boulder caught in the tides of war. Even the God of Styling's sacrifice can't stop its descent once it begins. The order of the Ocean of Memories is maintained by the chaos of the unconscious and the light of awareness. With so many gods asleep and countless stars yet to awaken, this collapse can’t be stopped.

The Ocean of Memories quickly descends into chaos.

The Ocean of Memories descends into chaos. The abyss erupts in flames, turning into boiling lava. The heated sea turns into a thick mist, blotting out the stars. In my eyes, the world melts into a raging ball of fire.

Soon, the lava will spread to every corner of the Ocean of Memories and eventually reach Miraland. Neither the sleeping gods nor the unaware humans can escape.

They try to consume me, the only human in the Star Sea, but they can’t even burn the hem of my clothes.

I quietly watch the destruction, feeling a strange sense of wonder.

Destruction, in its way, is a grand and intense form of beauty. Civilization blooms with the brightest flames amidst disaster and war.

Ancient buildings crumble, ink fades from the pages of poems and designs, and both great artworks and worthless scraps ignite together in extravagant flames…

Seeing the predictions come true brings me a strange sense of excitement—I even feel my blood begin to boil.

>Don’t you want to save?<

Player: …Don’t you want to save this world?

Leonid: Why save it?

Player: You…

Leonid: Aren’t you curious about what kind of world will be born from this destruction? Compared to the new possibilities rising from the ashes, there’s nothing worth clinging to in the old world.

In the clash between lava and sea, starlight begins to reappear. Those are the starlights of humanity. One by one, they rise, like moths to a flame, rushing toward the boundary between lava and sea, as if trying to stop the unstoppable.

Though they can’t fully grasp the reality of destruction, they still struggle—seeking, saving, and even creating.

Their struggle may be futile, but their starlight shines with brilliance. Amid the destruction, their glow stands out, and I find myself wanting to reach out and hold it.

As I reach out, there’s a flash, and suddenly a mirror appears in my hand.

This is… the Personality Mirror, carrying Designer’s Reflections.

?: Sir, I’ve finished the outfit!

A young figure appears in my memory, holding up clothes designed for me, her excitement palpable.

She was my first student. Long ago, in Miraland, I left her Designer’s Reflection in the dream Star Sea.

She wasn’t particularly talented, and I can’t even remember her name.

But her starlight was beautiful, and it led me to the Ocean of Memories.

I don’t know where her Designer’s Reflection is now, but the feeling when I left it was urgent and passionate.

So now… am I feeling the same as I leave these starlights?

2. Designer’s Reflection

My emotions ripple, for the first time in ages.

I eagerly touch the starlights, which turn into countless mirrors, floating on the Ocean of Memories. Their light moves with the waves, like a tiny galaxy.

The lava from the Abyss is drawn to this newborn galaxy, a raging storm forming around me.

The Designer’s Reflections swirls around me, forming a weak yet determined shield, just like the starlight that surrounded the God of Styling.

…Are you trying to protect me?

Then prove to me your potential.

Like a conductor at the end of days, I resonate with the memories of these Designer’s Reflections, listening to the stories of different humans.

Those voices separate and intertwine in this calamitous storm, creating a harmonious symphony under my guidance.

Finally, they unleash a tremendous force—

Brilliant flames converge into a surging stream of stars. Under its impact, the raging hot lava cools rapidly, deposits, and quickly sinks into the seawater.

I watch, delighted.

The calamity before me has, surprisingly, come to a brief pause.

I begin to like these mirrors.

I reach out and gently brush the mirrors that joyfully dance after repelling the lava, feeling a hint of nostalgia and tenderness.

The starlight of humanity, beloved by the God of Styling, once fought to protect the gods they loved during the War of Gods. Even now, it has the power to create extraordinary miracles.

Precise observation, rigorous calculations, and concise formulas and theorems culminate in the true knowledge of reason.

Subtle touch, wild imagination, and grand romantic inspiration weave together into the supreme beauty of emotion. Though the Designer’s Reflections were born from fragile humans, they are the record of civilizations, proof that the ultimate truth and beauty I cherish once existed.

Suddenly, a thought crosses my mind—after the world ends, where will these Designer’s Reflections go?

When the Star Sea vanishes, the starlight of civilization will lose its foundation and fade into nothingness.

After the world ends, only the prophet who surpasses all gods and humans, will remain.

I feel a deep sense of loss because of this.

I have to do something. If they could last forever, I wouldn’t regret any price I had to pay.

>What are you thinking?<

Player: Leonid, what are you thinking?

Leonid: I’ve made a decision.

Dazzling and beautiful reflections of starlight, let me create a home for you—

A place where the record of civilization can accompany you, and where supreme beauty and truth will shine forever.

I raise my hand to my chest, feeling the steady beat of my heart, and then, without hesitation, pierce through it.

>Leonid!<

Player: Leonid, what are you doing?!

My blood-soaked hand pulls out my beating human heart. Blood runs down my palm, dripping into the seawater at my feet.

It’s a beautiful heart of flesh, beating fiercely, having experienced both the beauty of emotion and the knowledge of reason. It’s the vessel of omniscience, the core of my existence.

It’s why I can survive the destruction.

Leonid: I will create a museum to preserve civilization.

This human heart will give it eternal protection and power.

And imbue it with my abilities, allowing it to create countless Designer’s Reflections and record the brightest starlight.

This museum, holding countless records, will become the most powerful “consciousness” in the Star Sea, restoring order to it. Perhaps, in doing so, it will save the world.

Player: Didn’t you say you wouldn’t save the world?

Leonid: I’m not trying to save the world. I just want to preserve the beauty and truth I love.

>Will you die?<

Player: Will… you die?

Leonid: I won’t abandon my human heart.

As if making a promise to someone, I throw the burning heart into the sea of lava.

Consciousness fades as seawater engulfs my body and heart, and I smile.

This will be an unparalleled masterpiece—I shall call it the Ark.

Heart of the Ark

The familiar sensation of approaching death wraps around me.

The connection to ultimate truth and knowledge breaks, and I lose all my abilities, slipping into a state of unknowing.

What is happening to this world? How far has civilization progressed? What has become of the star trails? Are there new stars being born?

Curiosity gnaws at me, but all I can feel is the oppressive darkness. I hear nothing, see nothing.

I can’t observe, deduce, verify, or change anything.

For someone whose pursuit is knowledge, this is the cruelest punishment.

This ignorance makes me restless, even anxious, but that soon fades into the darkness.

The world is silent. I suddenly miss the endless noise of the Abyss. Compared to this complete emptiness, the chaos of emotions almost seems interesting.

Time and space lose their meaning. My sense of self seems ready to dissolve at any moment.

Is this death? Will I die here?

>Leonid!<

Player: Leonid, wake up! Don’t sleep!

So noisy.

But beside your voice, there’s something else—something resonating with my consciousness.

Ah, it’s the heart that sank into the sea of lava.

It;s being squeezed, scorched, cracking constantly. Tossed by waves and storms, it seems like it will shatter any second.

But it doesn’t. Instead it’s forged stronger, clearer, reflecting a brilliant iridescence.

Accompanied by this iridescence, something begins to change in the silence.

Old memories resurface; fragments of sound and familiar flashes.

I see my first student.

Those sincere eyes, full of trust, reflected the starlight of an ordinary human. That starlight, touched by me, fell and became the light guiding me to the Star Sea.

Next, the darkness and chaos I saw in the Abyss—the debates on knowledge and desire, and the countless questions I cast out to all civilizations.

The pink-haired girl gave me the answer I was most satisfied. In the distant future I foresaw, she wore dustless black wings, just like me, and emerged from the abyss to see the starlight and sun.

Lastly, the god who composed hymns for humanity’s starlight.

They are wearing a crown of flowers and golden leaves, with white wings wrapped around them.

The harp in their hands sings of love for humanity, even though it summoned the waves of destruction during the War of Gods.

Twinkle Twinkle, Dustless Feather, Prophecy.

These are my designs, my memories. Different fragments play before me, debating yet somehow in harmony.

?: I’ll make sure your name is known to all!

[image of Nikki on screen] One must have unbreakable faith to break out of the abyss.

? [image of god of styling on screen]: Leonid, never lose touch with humanity.

They’re calling my name.

This call fills my empty consciousness, giving substance to my existence as “Leonid.”

I feel myself growing more solid, and the dark cage shatters under the pressure of that voice and light, revealing fragmented gaps.

I look out, trying to understand the cause of this miracle.

I see the light from my human heart extending, capturing, the starlight of past and future, creating countless Designer’s Reflections.

Among them, I see my own image.

My Designer’s Reflections form a starry chain, linking me to my human heart.

So it was my Designer’s Reflections that awakened these memories.

My heart had regarded Leonid as part of human civilization, and it made me the first and brightest to be reborn.

>You never abandoned your human heart.<

Player: After all, you never abandoned your human heart, right?

Leonid: You’re right… Perhaps I’ll never be an entirely objective observer.

My Designer;s Reflections and the mirrors I;’ve created swirl around the heart, dancing.

The first Designer’s Reflection I created was drawn by light, traveling far to reunite with the dancing mirrors.

After what feels like an eternity, the heart sheds its flesh, transforming into a giant heart-shaped prism.

The ocean of lava, once bent on consuming all life and civilization, stills in its presence.

The deep red of calamity fades, replaced by a calm blue. The chaos sinks into the Abyss, and twinkling starlight is born once more from the sea.

The crystal heart makes the water ripple in rhythm with its pulse. When their rhythm synchronizes, gentle and silent time spreads outward.

It’s time to wake up.

The heart-shaped prism’s iridescence shatters the darkness around me, and as I resonate with it, I once again perceive the world around me.

I finally open my eyes, seeing clearly the scene before me—

Above the sea, massive waves are frozen mid-air, with auroras and rainbows appearing at once. A huge, marvelous structure sets sail.

Eternal Voyage

I rise from beneath the sea, stepping into the museum I named the Ark.

My human heart—now the Heart of the Ark—spins quietly before me, stirring the gentle sea and refracting brilliant light.

It senses the starlight flowing through the Ocean of Memories, capturing those brilliant designs and beauty.

Two tracks extend from the Heart of the Ark, spiraling upward like a double helix, transmitting the recorded memories and linking scattered buildings on the sea.

I ride the trains on those tracks, traveling to different areas of the Ark.

I pass a moon-shaped building where all uncategorized records are kept.

Moving forward, I see a collection area.

Exhibition halls float in the air, each with a unique style—from pavilions from Cloud to grand cathedrals from Pigeon.

Designs and beauty are precisely categorized into indexes, displayed in the exhibition halls, Countless Personality Mirrors float there, shimmering eternally.

I wander through this museum of civilization, feeling joy and fulfillment. I listen to the memories debate and narrate, feeling the vitality in them.

The Ark is perfect, that much is true. But despite its flawlessness, it seems to be missing something…

What could it be?

I notice a part of the Ark not meant for preserving civilization—

A precisely designed laboratory, with a giant clock surrounded by gears, and a garden full of wonders, with a glorious pink tree that never withers at its center.

From those two buildings, I hear human voices.

It’s a brother and sister. The brother calmly guides the Ark’s course with logic, while the sister lets her emotions run wild, excitedly planning various games. They trust each other deeply, their bond close.

Aeon and Marina, they call themselves the administrators of the Ark.

I see now. The Ark truly is my greatest masterpiece. It decided it needed administrators, knowing that machines would eventually break and stop, but human curiosity would persist forever.

I feel satisfied with what I see before me. It’s time to leave.

>Wait…<

Player: Wait, so Aeon and Marina are your creations?

Leonid: I feel an inexplicable closeness to them. There is a connection between us… or perhaps, they are a part of me.

Player: What?

Leonid: To be precise, they are the two parts of my human heart—emotion and reason.

My heart recognized the need for administrators, and so they were born along with the Ark, becoming an inseparable part of it.

I’m not their creator, now have I determined their fate. Their lives are their own.

Player: Aeon and Marina have been searching for their origins. Don’t you plan on telling them?

Leonid: Eternal confusion is eternal motivation. They’ll continue collecting memories from the Ocean of Memories, seeking their past and future and fulfilling their duties.

A perfect system, wouldn’t you say?

Player: That’s cruel.

Leonid: One day they’ll find their answers. When you arrived here, that process had already begun, hadn’t it?

I leave the Ark, heading toward the Ocean of Memories. The Star Sea has grown calm, more beautiful than when I first saw it. After the greatest disaster, the most vibrant starlight will always be reborn.

The sleeping gods are waking, the conflicts and calamities in Miraland have ceased, and the pursuit of love and beauty is rekindling.

This world’s civilization will continue for a while longer. It’s something worth celebrating.

>You saved the world.<

Player: Leonid, you saved the world.

Leonid: I said I didn’t intend to save it. But now that it’s done I feel a slight relief.

I sense that the God of Styling, who should have perished, still exists somewhere in time and space.

Because of this, I've begun an experiment—to explore the possibility that the God of Stylings continued existence, and perhaps, their return.

If the world had ended, there would have been no stage for my experiment.

To this end, I created the concept of Styling Power, initiated the Era of Styling, delivered the Prophecy of Doom at civilization’s dawn, to evoke the will to save, to resonate with their consciousness.

Leonid: My experiment finally yielded a result.

The God of Styling persists because even if forgotten by everyone, the girl from another dimension and her companions still love styling and beauty.

It was through her and your efforts that they returned to this land. And this time, they gave everything to save the world, disappearing from all time and space.

A rather boring outcome, isn’t it?

>You seem sad.<

Player: You seem sad…

I gaze at the last fragment of moonlight in my hand. It will fade, but for now, it blooms gently—like a soft wing, like an unfinished song.

Leonid: Let’s talk about something more interesting. All my attempts back then had predetermined outcomes, except for one—

The Prophecy of Doom.

The prophecy, spread by Prophet Salah, gave rise to many beliefs about destruction.

The archpriest of Pigeon Church declared that Glory would save those who believed in the sun. Ninir Chapel’s envoy proclaimed that Darkness would forgive those who worshipped the moon.

The Wasteland priest described doomsday as a hell of karmic fire, while North Kingdom ballads spoke of an ultimate frozen time and space.

Just as the Ocean of Memories birthed gods from people’s beliefs, every collective understanding formed by Miraland’s civilization profoundly impacts the Star Sea.

This impact, in turn, affects Miraland. Though we don’t yet know what the outcome will be, signs are already emerging.

>The rewritten prophecy?<

Player: Are you talking about the rewritten prophecy? Leonid, is all this connected to you? What do you truly want?

Leonid: I’ve always been an observer driven by curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge.

All I’ve done is observe the progress of civilization—witnessing its growth, decline, and destruction.

Player: But the prophecy has brought war, and destruction may come again…

Leonid: The Ocean of Memories and Miraland constantly influence each other. One day, they’ll drag each other toward destruction—a predetermined fate at the end of the star trails.

Until then, oh stars who dance for salvation, let me see your radiant light.

#shining nikki #leonid

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