Robin • Summeretto

Soaring clearest skies and bluest oceans, wings sweep up the sea spray, transforming it into a new melody.

Following the lingering echoes of memory, she embraces the unexpected along the way, seeking inspiration for a melodic variation—

Beyond the melody, how else can the Harmony sing?

She hears the sound of a beautiful dream shattering.

Ten system hours ago, the Charmony Festival was forced to be canceled.

Three system hours ago, the confessional of Bronze Melodia was swamped by lost and confused masses.

One system hour ago, The Family issued a severe condemnation against the Oak Family, with an inquiry and manhunt for the fugitives expected in the coming days.

"Praise be to the Great One, everlasting be the harmony..."

The majestic Charmony resonates within the parliament hall.

However, she can clearly see that the Five Lineages were chanting slogans of solidarity just seconds ago, only to immediately turn around and scheme to partition power and seize benefits.

"Miss Robin, thank you for your singing, but did Bronze Melodia truly... abandon the Path of Harmony..."

A Dreamchaser who once prayed to Sunday finds her, her face twisted in agony.

She wants so desperately to comfort the helpless, lost soul just as her brother used to do, but even the most beautiful song feels hollow and powerless right now.

"Miss Robin, did the Harmony make Dreamflux Reef turn out like this?"

"Miss Robin, don't they always treat everyone as family?"

The children from the choir crowd around her, laughing and playing, but their innocent questions leave her completely at a loss.

Looking into those bright, shining eyes, she can only pull them into her arms in silence.

"Never seen you in this state before..."

At the Dreamjolt Hostelry, she accepts a soothing blend from Siobhan, allowing the bitter, slightly tart flavor overtake across her palate.

"Once, I understood that I sang for Harmony, but now, I cannot even discern how much further I can walk..."

Siobhan gave her shoulder a gentle pat. "This isn't your burden to carry."

She shakes her head, "But when I cannot even bring myself to believe, how can I sway anyone else?"

"You know, your brother used to come here for a drink from time to time, too."

"My brother?"

"He always sat in the shadows, looking just as troubled as you do now. Then one day, he penned a line in the lounge guestbook and never came back..."

She gazes at the familiar handwriting, feeling as though she has arrived at a similar crossroad.

"It is the people who forge the path, not the path that waits for people."

She heard the gasping breath of ideals buckling under their own weight.

Only when she truly stepped into the spotlight did she realize that being swept along by forces beyond her control was simply the norm.

"Go, child. Take the stage. For the Triple-Faced Soul, for The Family, and for everyone."

The thunderous voice left no room for refusal. Rally after rally, she wove sweet dreams of Harmony for her audiences with a voice growing ever more weary.

But looking upon the same zeal burning in the eyes of the crowd, she felt a sudden shiver run down her spine.

"Robin, do you still hold true to the Family's Path of Harmony?"

She had lost count of how many times an envoy of the main Family had come to interrogate members of the Oak Family like this.

"I have always been faithful to the Path of Harmony."

"Then answer this: Will you uphold the Family's philosophy, uniting all through song, that they may be united as one?"

"I..."

Her throat ran dry, and she found herself speechless.

She often dreamed of being thrust onto a grand, exalted stage.

Countless cold and indifferent messengers pulled at her limbs. She opened her mouth, yet a voice that was not her own came out; she raised her arm, yet it moved against her will.

In her hands were endless stringed puppets beneath the stage. They followed her every step, spinning and leaping in kind.

She wanted to struggle. She wanted to run. But when she jolted awake, she found herself exactly where she started.

On those sleepless nights, she chose to stop tossing and turning. Instead, she stepped out into the deep Penaconian night.

Wandering through the darkness, she sought to leave it all behind, pouring herself into the things she still had power to change.

She returned to Dreamflux Reef, raising funds through charity performances to support struggling residents, and continued sponsoring the growth and education of the children there.

She visited every part of the dreamscape. Her songs consoled the weary workers tucked away in its forgotten corners, as she offered them free music lessons.

She listened to the prayers and wishes of every soul who came to confess, never making assertions, only sharing her own inspiration...

"Whether it's the strong defending the weak or the strong exploiting the weak... what I've always cared about is each of those vulnerable individuals and their dignity..."

She heard new voices growing vibrantly.

At Dreamflux Reef, the children had formed a new band. With her continued support, even more orphans were arriving here through dream devices and learning to sing.

"Miss Robin, let us sing for you!"

A cool electric guitar rang out, the bassist bounced along, and a girl sang at the top of her lungs:

"Dance beneath a diamond-studded starry sky, and let's forget today until tomorrow comes..."

She couldn't help but dance along with them, lost in a momentary daze...

"Once upon a time, I had a dream of becoming a rock 'n' roll singer too..."

At the Golden Hour, her album centered on the theme of chasing dreams once again drew countless adventurers here to make their mark.

"Wait, isn't that Robin, Penacony's very own ambassador and superstar?"

Someone had recognized her, and she slipped off her sunglasses with a bashful smile. Within seconds, a crowd had gathered around her.

"Your music motivated me, and I made my very first fortune right here in Penacony! Drinks on me, everyone! And that includes you, Miss Robin!"

As an improvisational jazz tune drifted out of the Dreamjolt Hostelry, joy leapt and danced in the glow of the lights, painting every face with a golden smile.

Stepping into the "Moment of Daybreak," a group of young people from the Dawn Factory waved to her.

Ever since she had called for reform of the unreasonable working hours, the staff finally had some breathing room for their mental health. At the concerts she held regularly, she came to know a group of people who shared the dream of chasing their passions.

"Miss Robin, check out what we've been tinkering with lately: new wave music for the electronic age!"

Nimble fingers danced across the keys as the rippling waves of the theremin wove into a soaring melody.

"This is the Land of the Dreams, the Land of the Dreams that belongs to everyone..."

Countless voices wove together — some rough and raspy, others soft and young — forming a symphony of sweet dreams.

No need for a conductor or rigid uniformity. She realized, almost in a daze, that a single trace of freedom's song was all it took for people to pour out their inspiration.

"Then... what would my own music notes sound like?"

The sky over Astropolis stretched far wider than she had ever imagined.

Strolling through the coastal palm groves, she watched gulls skim the cresting waves with pure delight, following their flight until they shrank to distant specks on the horizon. Only then did she remember she was still tethered to her small corner of reality.

Yet that chance reunion with the Trailblaze had flung open a chest of long-bottled inspiration.

She had come searching for the Lost Echo of Gopher Wood, and ended up tangled in a mysterious money challenge instead.

Watching Trailblazer plummet from the top of a wave straight into the depths of crushing debt, it seemed like she had lived an entire lifetime of surprises in just a few short days.

When her companion fell into a trap, she made a decision that caught everyone off guard: placing herself right in the eye of the storm.

Was it a motivation from the Trailblaze?

Was it the thrill of a gambler riding the waves?

She didn't know why. But then, inspiration never asks for permission, the moment it arrives, there's no need to think. The melody simply flows from the heart.

"All I need is just a little courage to improvise. And from there, the music notes find their way to each other..."

Beneath the clear sky of a foreign land, every long-suppressed feeling seemed to finally find its outlet.

She remembered the sound of sweet dreams shattering: sorrow and parting like blue foam, a single sip enough to break the heart.

She remembered the gasping breath of ideals buckling under their own weight, the heavy drumbeat pounding in time with her heart, a weary soul dragging herself forward, searching. Her eyes looked up to the sky, yet remained bound to earth.

She remembered the vibrant surge of new sounds: myriad different voices, raw and unpolished, yet capable of moving the world and rallying countless to stand as one.

"People forge their own paths, but every step we take also shapes who we are."

When the applause thundered, she was no longer terrified, no longer seeking answers.

Whether it was the Family's harmony or freedom's blues, each was a landscape of her life.

No need to rush, no need to linger. She already had her answer.

To simply chase after the wind. And then, continue to soar.