Alk/Stories
The World Flipper sends a young amnesiac named Alk tumbling into Starview Village. There, he meets its keeper, a mysterious girl named Stella, and surprises her with the magic of cooking.
???: No sign of the champion.
Girl: Losing visual on an increasing number of regions.
Girl: Unable to access World Flipper. All conditions remain unchanged. Resuming standby.
Girl: ...I'm still alone.
Girl: Welcome to Starview Village.
Stella: I am its keeper, Stella.
Stella: Are you the champion?
???: N-not that I know of.
???: I'm... Al... Alk...
???: Or, at least, I think I am.
Alk: So you're saying I popped out of that thing? What'd you call it again?
Stella: A World Flipper.
Alk: There's no way it... gave birth to me, right?
Stella: I believe you came from an outside world.
Alk: Yeah... That would make the most sense. I want to say I have actual, you know, human parents.
Alk: Mm... I think I also have basic knowledge of the world. Like fire is hot, ice is cold. So I'm probably suffering from some kind of partial amnesia?
Alk: (At least I remember enough to tell that this village and that girl are not what people would call "normal.")
Alk: You said your name was Stella, right? Where'd you come from?
Stella: I have been in Starview for the whole of my existence.
Alk: Huh? Then where are your parents?
Stella: Parents? No, I don't...
Alk: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Never mind, okay? You don't have to force yourself to remember.
Stella: I'm sorry.
Alk: Feels like I should be the one apologizing…
Alk: So I'm stuck in a strange place with a strange person. *sigh* What am I going to do?
Stella: It's time to eat, sir.
Alk: Oh. Okay...
Stella: Please.
Alk: Thanks...
Alk: BLEH! It's so SOUR!
Stella: This fruit contains all the nutrients necessary to sustaining life.
Alk: Yep, just like I thought.
Stella: What's all this?
Alk: Hey! You're just in time. Try some.
Stella: Food?
Stella: Did you utilize magic?
Alk: Haha. Well, there are people who say cooking is magic, but I didn't even do that.
Alk: See, these fruits are pretty sour. I thought that if I heated them up a little, it'd bring out the sweetness. And I was right!
Stella: That's... amazing.
Stella: What is it?
Alk: Oh. Nothing.
Alk: Want another one?
Stella: May I?
Alk: Help yourself.
Alk dreams of the moment he and Stella first promised to leave Starview together. He awakes in the World of Evergreen and listens to Light recount his adventures as champion.
Alk: Bare, empty, nearly a black hole. This town's huge, but there's nothing in it.
Alk: A book?
Alk: Gosh, it's falling apart! Let's see here... Uh... I think it's somebody's journal?
Alk: I can barely read it... And the back half's been torn out… But what's this?
Alk: ...Alone, all this time, huh?
Alk: (She's looking at the sky again.)
Alk: What's out there?
Stella: Stars... Worlds.
Alk: Then it's also where my home and family would be, huh?
Alk: ...I can't see a thing though.
Stella: The sky's been obscured for a long time now. Something... went wrong.
Stella: But I'm certain they're out there. Countless worlds I haven't seen…
Alk: Wow. I can't even imagine...
Alk: Hey, does the World Flipper work both ways? Like if it sucked me in here, could it shoot me back out?
Stella: Do you want to return to your original world?
Alk: What? Me?
Alk: I mean, yeah. But it's also... I don't want to stay stranded in one place, you know?
Stella: I see... I'm sorry, sir.
Alk: What are you apologizing for?
Stella: I am the keeper of the World Flipper. Yet I can't remember how to use it.
Stella: For all I know, it may be broken.
Alk: No... I don't think so. It brought me here, right? It's probably in a bad mood or something.
Stella: A bad... mood?
Alk: Yeah. Maybe if we hit it real hard... That always works on machines, right?
Stella: I would not recommend that.
Alk: Mm... You're right. Violence never solved anything. Well, we'll figure something out!
Alk: Also, could you stop calling me sir? It makes me feel like I should be wearing a top hat and monocle or something.
Stella: Your... lordship?
Alk: Why would you—
Alk: Never mind. Just "Alk" is fine.
Alk: Feels like we're around the same age. We should be friends—not butler and spoiled rich kid, or whatever you were going for.
Stella: Friends?
Alk: Yeah. Ooh, or some kind of escape team! That sounds cool, right, Stella?
Stella: It does indeed... Alk.
Alk: Mph... Huh? What? Did I fall asleep? My bad.
Light: It's fine. It was my watch. You woke at a good time though. The sun's coming up.
Alk: Stella's still fast asleep, huh?
Light: Yes. It's at times like this you remember she is only a young girl.
Alk: Yeah... But she's fearless. I mean, who goes up to monsters and asks for directions?
Light: That surprised me as well.
Alk: Back when I first met her at Starview, she felt almost... lifeless. But now, she's like fireworks.
Light: I believe Stella was always brave of heart. Do you remember when I was being hunted by daemons? She leapt before me without hesitation.
Alk: Yeah. Doesn't get much more heroic than that.
Alk: ...Which reminds me. You still owe me the rest of that story. About your champion's trials?
Light: You didn't tire of listening about me?
Alk: Hello? You're a champion? I bet people would pay good money to buy your autobiography.
Light: Very well. Where did I leave off? Ah... My meeting with the dragon.
Light: He had more pride than any king, and more power than any knight. His name was Vagner, and he was ruler over all dragons…
In the depths of the Kaleidoscope, Alk confronts his own shadow, who asks him why he's trying so hard when he is neither particularly strong nor destined for greatness. But Alk realizes that friendship and the chance to be part of something bigger than himself are worth more than any personal glory.
Nimbus: RAAAH!
Light: That should've been the last of them.
Alk: Nice work. I officially pronounce this zone cleared.
Nimbus: Wait. Why've you been sticking to the rear?
Light: Nimbus. If you're unhappy with our formation, then I—
Nimbus: Shut it. That's not what I'm talking about. I want to know what you're scared of, Alk.
Alk: I'm not scared.
Nimbus: You really the same guy I fought in the desert?
Nimbus: *scoff* Pathetic.
Alk: What?
Alk: Ugh...
Alk: Why? It wasn't time for a shift yet...
Alk: Looks like I'm alone.
???: Yeah, you are... For the first time in a while.
Alk: Who... are you?
???: Why retreat? There's no one for you to hide behind.
Alk: I ASKED WHO YOU ARE!
Shadow Alk: Come on. Who else fights like this? I'm you. A shadow of you, anyways.
Shadow Alk: I just want to talk. I want to ask how long you're going to stick with this senseless adventure.
Alk: ...What?
Shadow Alk: You don't have a great destiny to fulfill, like Light or Stella. You don't even have brute strength, like Nimbus.
Shadow Alk: So why are you trying so hard?
Alk: I...
Shadow Alk: Everyone else has a purpose. Motivation. Drive. You're just a rowboat, going with the flow.
Alk: No! I... I want my memories back! I want to find a way home!
Shadow Alk: Don't lie to yourself. You're scared. Scared of who you really are.
Shadow Alk: What if you remember you're a normal kid from a normal home with the normal comforts? What would you be fighting for then?
Alk: But Light and Stella—
Shadow Alk: I didn't ask what THEY were fighting for. I asked about YOU!
Alk: Gah!
Shadow Alk: Why don't you quit while you're ahead? Leave before you get left be—
???: RAAAAH!
Alk: Nimbus!
Nimbus: You mess with my friends... you mess with me!
Shadow Alk: Us? Friends? You're kidding, right?
Shadow Alk: I can't tell what you're thinking. You're a beast. You move by instinct. And you're so much stronger than me. To be honest—
Alk: Nimbus! Get out of the way!
Alk: I'll take care of him!
Shadow Alk: Why are you so angry? Was I wrong?
Alk: No... You're probably right. Chances are, I'm not special.
Alk: But that doesn't mean I can't try. That doesn't mean I can't be part of something bigger and better than me! And fine! I do think Nimbus is a grouch and, frankly, kind of scary!
Alk: But he's still my friend!
Shadow Alk: No... No. The truth is—
Alk: No one decides what the truth is... But me!
Alk: We're DONE talking! Meteor... Break!
Shadow Alk: One day, they're not going to need you anymore.
Shadow Alk: They're going leave you behind... Throw you away. Are you really okay with that?
Alk: You're wrong. If we ever part ways, it won't be because they abandoned me... It'll be because I stopped following them.
Alk: And that's fine, you know? Because, by then, at least I'll know... I did everything I could to contribute to something good.
Masked Sorceress: You... You idiot.
Nimbus: Hey. I'll admit I'm a grouch. But what part of me's scary?
Alk: Your face?
Nimbus: Well, too bad. I was born with these fangs!
Alk: Yeah, I know... Sorry. I'll probably get used to them.
Alk: Uh, Nimbus? The room's kind of starting to spin. Mind carrying me for a while?
Nimbus: What?
Alk: Might help me get used to you faster.
Nimbus: Fine. But if you complain about comfort or smell, I'm dropping you like a sack of hot potatoes.
Alk: Got it... Thanks... Nimbus...
Nimbus: Shut up. Damn, it's like you're delivering your death monologue or— Alk!
Nimbus: Hey! Hang in there! Alk!