The Heart of the New World

Hey, everybody! It's Hiro again. How have you all been? Are you getting used to the cold? I'm glad I have my jacket right now, that's for sure.

There's this holiday coming up... I'm sure most of you have heard of it by now, but for those who haven't... it's called Thanksgiving! It's when everyone cooks a lot of food to celebrate things that they're thankful for. At least, that's what I think it's about. We don't actually celebrate Thanksgiving in Japan, but I've heard of it.

[Okay, he doesn't quite have the strongest grip on what exactly the holiday's about, but that's beside the point.]

Maybe I just haven't been looking through my journal enough, but I've got a question for you guys. Is there going to be any village-wide event celebrating Thanksgiving, or is everyone just doing their own little things?

Oh, and another question for all of you. What traditions do you have around this time of year, if any? I'm not just talking about in Luceti- I'm talking about at home too. Do some of you have harvest festivals or anything like that? I'm just curious about what most of you do around this time of year, when it starts getting cold out.

[A noticeably somber-sounding Hiro leaves a message for Luceti...]

Hey, guys. Are the Kin'corans keeping you all busy? Just a little while ago, something interesting happened to me. I thought I saw someone familiar among the Kin'corans, and then this person approached me. It turned out that someone I saved from demons had been living in Kin'cora for about a month now. He warned me that the Kin'corans didn't trust people from Luceti at all, and then he thanked me for saving him before leaving. I can't believe I saved him just for him to end up there... I just hope he had some semblance of a normal life before the place was attacked. I can't say for sure how normal his life would have been at home.

Have any of you seen anyone familiar among the new people? And why do you think they distrust us so much...? Is it really just because we're "treated better?"

[A very tired-sounding Hiro leaves a message for Luceti this morning.]

Hey, everyone. How are you all doing? I'm guessing everyone's still tired from the draft or from whatever the village was put through. I know I'm exhausted... Haha, I guess I overdid it while I was on the draft. Anyway, can someone tell me what happened to Luceti while I was gone? This place is a mess... It seems like it did more than just rain here. My apartment seems to be fine, thank god, but it seems the rest of you weren't so lucky. I'll come out and help you guys soon, I promise. I'm just really sore right now...

Oh, aside from that, I have another set of questions for you guys. Something happened to me when I was out fighting, and it got me thinking about the choice I have to make when I get home. This is all kind of hypothetical and philosophical, so please bear with me. So, let's say a world has been heavily damaged by demons and aliens, and a void threatens to consume it all. Several things can happen when this world is restored. It can turn into a meritocracy, into a society where everyone is completely equal and helps each other, it can be reset to the way it was before the catatstrophes, or it can be reset into a completely new world. Which fate would you pick for this world, and why? Every response helps me, so thanks in advance.

[Someone different from Hiro is waking up in his room today. Meet Chihiro Kageyama, a woman who established a meritocracy in her world before being brought to Luceti. She has most of Hiro's memories of being in Luceti, but her memory seems to be a tad foggy today, given what she does upon waking up. She pushes the record button on her journal and records a short message before stopping it.]

Hello... do any of you know where Yamato is? He was here with me when I went to bed, but he's not here now.

[So begins confusion in the morning. As a side note, she now looks like this: 25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4m6s2SlEC1qjv0reo1_500.jpg]

[Hiro, upon waking up on the outskirts of Luceti's town, sits up with a start, accidentally smacking the record button on his (open) journal. The following can be heard...]

What happened? Where's Daichi? ...Where's my shirt and my jacket- oh, here they are! Why are there holes in the back? ...My back! There's THINGS on them! Oh my god- OW! They don't come off! Wait, my shirt fits over the things- hey, they're thing-holes! Huh... hey, I can move the things! They're like... wings! And the thing-holes are wing-holes! WAIT, this means I have wings! But how? Wait, where's my cell phone? Crap! I can't defend myself against demons without my cell phone... Gotta find my cell phooooone! ...Hey, wait, what's this?

[Some fumbling sounds are heard, and the recording abruptly ends.]