Story PV#
People gaze at the flowing water, sighing at the fleeting time.
And in the village where the clear spring resides, emotions are as clear as the lake's reflection.
"Waiting doesn't feel bitter, but if you really turn back, I will feel that the wait has been long."
Game Text#
Volume 1#
The legendary story passed down by the hunters of the Clear Spring Town tells the tale of the encounter between the water spirit and an unknown boy.
Under the moonlight like water, the tearful boy makes a wish to the clear spring.
The wandering spirits from afar reside in the indifferent water, silently listening to the voiceless wishes.
The spirits in the spring have no distant memories or profound dreams. They come from the essence of water, descendants of faceless angelic beings.
Therefore, when the curious spirits emerge from the spring and hear the boy's voice through his tears, they immediately become interested in this younger and more fragile life.
The silent spirits extend their shapeless fingers, gently touching the boy's forehead and cheeks. As cool as the night dew, soft like a lost blessing.
The boy is awakened by the unfamiliar touch, looks up, and meets the gaze of the spirit.
"Can you fulfill my wish?" the boy asks.
The spirit in the spring is surprised and puzzled by the sudden question, but she cannot speak, only nods gently.
The boy leaves satisfied.
He never knew that the water spirit was lonely. She has no companions or family, and has lost most of her wisdom.
Only when the spring water continuously flows from the cracks in the rocks and merges into the pond, looking at the shattered moon in the ripples, does she gradually gain the ability to contemplate and gradually imitate broken words.
The curious spirit gazes at this world, filled with pure love and ignorance, with childish spirituality. She rejoices at the fox and squirrel stealing berries, and mourns the dark clouds that obscure the Milky Way.
A complex yet immature emotion flows in her heart for the boy of that night.
Being powerless and lacking intelligence, she cannot fulfill his wish in the end.
But she can share the wish, draw life from his troubles, and share it with him.
Volume 2#
The legendary story passed down by the hunters of the Clear Spring Town tells the tale of the acquaintance between the water spirit and the boy.
Looking at the shattered moonlight in the ripples, the boy pours out his heart to the spring.
From his words, she learns many of his stories.
And from her silence, he gains confidence in himself.
The water spirit in the spring gradually understands that the world is not only filled with moonlight and berries, and the sorrowful darkness is not only composed of layers of clouds covering the night sky.
The boy tells her about forests, cities, and high walls, sharing his joys, sorrows, and fears.
In listening, she becomes increasingly fascinated by this imperfect world that she has newly discovered.
When the boy is troubled by his own helplessness, the water spirit gently and silently wipes away his tears. From his tears, she gains a deeper understanding of the world beyond the clear spring.
The tears merge into the pool, and the spirit purifies them, transforming them into the spring of sweet dreams for the boy. In his dreams, he forgets all the pain of wakefulness and meets the silent spirit in the clear spring.
At this moment, the sleeping spirit in the pool, bathed in the merging moonlight, also reveals a smile.
The dew nourishes the boy's beautiful dreams, and the boy's dreams moisten the lonely spirit.
In the dream, the water spirit tells the boy about distant water kingdoms, about sapphire-like homelands, sings of the longing of the exiles, and sighs about leaving home and finding a place to belong. And the boy becomes a silent listener, shedding tears for her experiences and rejoicing in her happiness.
In this way, the water spirit in the spring gains the ability to speak in the boy's memories and dreams.
In this way, they become friends who find joy in each other's company without words.
Volume 3#
The legendary story passed down by the hunters of the Clear Spring Town tells the tale of the promise made by the water spirit and the boy.
When the night wind stops blowing and the moon in the pool returns to its fullness, the boy hears the voice of the spirit for the first time.
The spirit, being more delicate and sensitive than humans, captivates the boy with her gentle language like a mournful song.
But the spirit, being more delicate and sensitive than humans, sees through the boy's eyes the unmistakable longing and the promise about to be spoken.
Suddenly, the spirit panics.
Human lives are resilient yet short-lived. The boy will eventually grow up and age. When he sheds his youth and innocence, how will he treat the pure descendants of the elements? When he grows old, will he blame himself for wasting his life on a childish promise?
The water spirit is pure and kind, but she does not understand the love of the human world. She has never witnessed the miracles of humans and only sees the passing of thousands of years as insignificant. It is because of this that she is particularly afraid of parting.
To humans, the miraculous waiting may seem beautiful, but to the elemental spirits, it is only a fleeting moment of beauty.
Even with the spirit's power, she cannot reverse the aging of the one she loves.
The delicate water spirit cannot bear to witness the irreversible day that will come, so she stops the boy with a kiss.
The boy, being foolish, mistakes the spirit's cold rejection kiss as acceptance of his promise.
At that moment, the spirit firmly resolves to eventually leave the boy.
And the boy makes a vow to forever accompany the clear spring.
Volume 4#
The legendary story passed down by the hunters of the Clear Spring Town is no longer the story of the boy and the immortal spirit, but the bitter ending they finally face.
Later, and even later, the boy gradually grows up, makes new friends, and has new experiences.
The water spirit in the spring continues to sing every gentle lament for him, just as she did when she was young.
Until one day, she finally departs and no longer looks in the direction of the boy.
The spring no longer rings with sounds, and the shattered moon in the ripples no longer reunites in the footprints on the water's surface.
The water spirit suddenly realizes that despite finding a home and experiencing fleeting happiness, she is still lonely.
The boy, who is no longer a boy, fails to realize the spirit's escape and blames his own loneliness.
"Perhaps she was just a childish illusion."
Listening to the murmuring of the clear spring, he sometimes thinks this way.
But that cold kiss was real, just like the night wind that used to play with her long hair.
Suddenly, he realizes that even after meeting and parting with countless new friends, experiencing numerous adventures and returning home, he is still lonely.
So, like many years ago, the boy's tears fall into the tranquil pool, wetting the shattered moon.
But this time, the water spirit does not come as agreed.
She stubbornly turns away, preferring to see herself as a pure childhood dream, a temporary guest who came from a distant foreign land, rather than betraying the promise of the one who loves her with an almost eternal lifespan.
Legend has it that whenever it rains heavily, the tears of the water spirit mix with the raindrops falling into the pool.
When the boy finally grows old, he still believes in such groundless tales.
Unfortunately, the water spirit, who avoids true affection, also cannot question such facts.