Klonoa: Steps from Dreaming

Act 3

     Color and shapes reemerged as the blinding yellow glow dissipated. Narrow pillars holding up a patchy surface overhead materialized. As the glow continued to fade curving and swirling lines coiled around the pillars and invaded most of the gaps scattered about the overhang. Warmth of the sun and the sound of wind passing through the garden of vines and brush grew to a peaceful tranquility. Finally the glow was gone but the expectation of vibrant color was met with a disparaged garden onlooking a frozen mountain-scape. The vines that created the overhang and the bushes and flowers that acted as divides between footpaths were faded and lapsing to an unseen turmoil.

     Ranno turned to Klonoa with a conflicted facade, “Welcome to the center of my home and my world.”

     A long pause followed as Klonoa and Ranno absorbed the placid subsiding surrounding.

     “What has happened to this place?” Klonoa asked with concern. “Does this garden not have a caretaker?”

     “This garden reflects the hopes and dreams of the people who live in this phantomile. Every leaf represents a person with a dream, hope, desire; no amount of gardening care can keep these plants from withering away.” Ranno walked to a nearby footpath. “Come, we must build energy for tomorrow. Do you have a favorite dish?”

     Klonoa perked up attentively to the mention of food, “Do you have any curry?”

     “What is curry?” Ranno asked puzzled.

     “Oh, nevermind, whatever is available is fine,” Klonoa said in disappointment.

     Klonoa accompanied Ranno down the footpath through the withering garden. Almost all of the leaves were shriveled and some had all but turned fully brown. At the end of the footpath was an old structure roughly the size of a normal house. Vines ran up the walls and ferns lined the exterior. Ranno opened the solid wooden door with ease as the hinges gave a small creaking noise.

     The dining hall was sparse of materialistic things. Tables and chairs were situated in an unorganized yet accommodating pattern. Piles of books littered one of the tables in the corner; an adjacent table perhaps overbearing from a stack of books. The smell of a newly burning fire permeated through the hall while the sun provided the last moments of daylight.

     Ranno motioned Klonoa to a table where three other seers had seated themselves.

     Klonoa drifted towards the occupied table and apprehensively seated himself.

     Ranno waved a greeting towards his companions and continued into the kitchen.

     Silence filled the dining area and enveloped the occupants of the table. The occupants were all wearing a maroon robe and appeared to have similar stature to Ranno. A few low toned clangs from the kitchen broke the silence.

     A seer at the table looked towards Klonoa, “So Dream Traveler, I am glad to finally see you have made it safely. We were worried the first element would taken up too much time. Brings a bit of hope to see you two back so soon.”

     The adjacent seer chimed in energetically as if unable to retain his excitement, “The legend of the last Dream Traveler here says travelers have special powers? I- I saw you have a fancy looking ring. Can, may I- I see it please?”

     The first seer quickly placed his hand on the shoulder of his excited friend, “Hold on there, our friend here doesn't need to explain himself.”

     Klonoa raised the ring into view, pondering the seer's intentions, then placed the ring on the table.

     The excited seer quickly stood and snatched the ring, “Wow, it's so weightless!” He examined it quizzically and with utmost scrutiny. He paused, “But I sense a lack something about it...How does it work?” as he pressed the green gem close to his eye.

     The first seer calmly impeded the interrogation, “Alright alright that's enough, don't want to hurt yourself with whatever the ring can do.”

     The seer gave a quick glare to his friend then reluctantly placed the ring on the table. He nonchalantly sat back down, elbow on the table and head in hand, repressing his innate fascination.

     After a pause the third seer turned towards Klonoa, “I too am glad the element of time was gathered quickly however compared to our last visitor, you are late.”

     Klonoa uncomfortably surprised, “What does everyone mean by late? I do not fully understand.”

     The first seer replied, “This is not the first time our world has fallen victim to this ancient evil...Long ago the same symptoms arose; irregular weather, strange lapses of time and a diminishing sense of better tomorrows. Many days passed with the symptoms worsening. A mysterious outsider appeared. Most towns greeted her with distrust; some people believed this new face was the cause. She was very vocal about her need to visit specific places of our world; perhaps a good reason for people to distrust her.

     Over time she made some friends. She listened to our children repeat stories, riddles and rhymes. An inn-keeper later found a note stating that she had departed for a short time.

     Our world slowly progressed into further turmoil - she did not return for weeks. Upon her return she employed haste in her movements and uncovered ancient knowledge which our world had naively changed into legend and myth. The legends we have today says she defeated the evil moments before the end of our world.”

     The third seer retorted in slight aggravation, “And while it took her nearly 47 to undo the evil here you are just days before our end. Anyone with hope is either a saint or delirious.”

     Klonoa uneasily slumped in his chair.

     Continuing his bantering, “The dream traveler still needs to acquire two more elements of our world before he can fix anything.”

     Ranno reentered the room with the tray of dinner. He placed bowls of stew on the table. “Now you know my haste Klonoa. We had waited for the day a dream traveler would return. Every day we waited more people fell into despair...but even in the greatest senses of doubt there is still hope. Klonoa, with a heavy heart my world needs your help. Will you help us?”

     Klonoa re-righting himself in the chair answered confidently, “Of course I'll help; we've made it this far.”

     “Nobody really knows what will happen if the evil succeeds as it nearly did long ago. I can say for certain that the evil will consume my world and everything in it, including you.”

     “There are only two more elements; we can gather them in no time just like the first.”

     With a smile, “Yes, we can. First we must prepare for tomorrow. Eat and get some rest.”

     Everyone ate their fill of dinner in silence as the sun slipped into hiding behind the mountains. Chirping of crickets occupied the dining hall as the candles individually extinguished themselves. One by one the occupants of the dining hall retired for the night and Klonoa, finding his own quarters recalled a familiar setting; lying on a soft surface staring up at the stars...