Prologue: Dreamland

Sora: Its….so bright….

As 15-year-old Sora mutters to himself before opening his eyes, what's beyond him is a world filled with brightness and joy.

A dazzling and boundless amusement park.

The sky is soft, azure blue with fluffy, cotton-candy clouds drifting lazily by. Rainbows shimmered faintly even in sunlight—music floating through the air—joyful melodies played by hidden speakers disguised as flowers and lanterns.

Pathways paved with glowing tiles wind through a landscape of lollipop-looking trees. Every building is painted in candy-colored hues—pinks, purples, sunshine yellows, and minty greens—with shimmering rooftops shaped like hats, stars, and cakes.

Sora: Wait…Why am I at an amusement park? I remember heading to bed just now though..!?!?

???: WELCOME!!!

Sora: AHH–!?

A loud noise suddenly disrupted Sora’s train of thought. Sora turns back and sees a man who is close to him.

The man looks like he's the same age, wearing a funny outfit, and also appears to have a familiar face?

???: Welcome to Wonderland! My name is Fuwa, the one in charge of this amusement park!!

Sora: Wait wait wait wait wait..!!!

Fuwa: Hmm?

Fuwa tilts his head in confusion.

Sora: I have many questions. First of all, who are you… Wait, you already answered that. I mean, why am I suddenly at this amusement park!?!?

Fuwa: Oh…You don’t…Remember me?

Sora starts to look closer at Fuwa and observe him closely, he has a purple hat, a purple suit and pants, long black hair….. And a face that is similar to his??

Sora: Wait…Are you…My imaginary friend when I was a kid?

Fuwa: Bingo!!

Fuwa gives Sora a huge embrace all of a sudden.

Fuwa: Sora!! I missed you..I thought you were never gonna play with me again…

Sora: Wait wait...

Sora pushes Fuwa away slightly, not out of anger, but in confusion, and also a bit of shyness.

Sora: Why am I here? I mean, what's this place?

Fuwa: What do you mean? It’s the world both of us created..Our Dreamland!

As Fuwa said this, a whoosh—a sudden streak of silver or red shooting into the sky, rising fast with a whistling hiss. Then—BOOM! A brilliant burst of light explodes overhead, scattering sparkling trails in every direction. It might be a blooming chrysanthemum of gold, a crackling willow of white, or a shimmering cluster of emerald and ruby stars.

Sora: W…Wow..

Some fireworks spin like Ferris wheels, some burst into perfect circles, and others shower down like glittering rain. There are smiley faces, hearts, and even different patterns like stars and hats. Each shape hangs for a moment, then fades like a dream.

Sora: Wait…So this is just a dream…I can’t believe I'll dream of the imaginary world I've created when I was a kid…

But another question was raised in his mind, and it may be an important one: why does this dream feel…real? But Sora decides to shrug it off for now.

Fuwa snaps his fingers, and Sora's outfit magically changes from a normal, plain black long-sleeved jacket into a bright yellow suit.

Fuwa: Since it has been a while since you came here, let me give you some nostalgia and reexplore our favourite attractions together!

Fuwa immediately took Sora’s hand without hesitation and started bringing him around the park, and both now find themselves sitting inside a cart, slowly moving up the tracks.

Fuwa: This is the Sparkle Speedway, the fastest roller coaster that travels higher than the clouds—

Before Fuwa could finish his sentence, the cart dropped in high speed, with a faint whoosh of wind in their ears. Then–FWOOM!

Screams of joy and laughter can be heard from the two.

After the ride ended, as both of them stepped out of the cart, Sora was gleaming with excitement.

Sora: It's fast, it's scary…But it's fun! Let’s take it again, but not now. I'm gonna get dizzy if I continue now…

Fuwa lets out a small laugh and grabs Sora’s hand again.

Fuwa: Save your excitement for later, there's more!

Both of them now find themselves on a log ride, slowly moving up the tracks again.

Fuwa: This is the glimmer falls. As the ride goes on, the water changes colour!

The log starts to move down, then SPLASH! Vibrant splashes and waters can be seen, with some soaking both of them in the process.

Sora: Smells like candy…

After the ride, they both proceed to another attraction. But this time it’s neither a roller coaster nor a log ride. But a maze.

Fuwa: Welcome to Jellybean Jungle, where it's a maze made out of sweets and snacks!

Fuwa explained as they walked on wobbly and slippery grass.

Sora: So… The Majority of the stuff here is… edible, right?

Fuwa: Well~, you can try!

Sora proceeds to pluck a leaf from a pink tree and tastes the leaf hesitantly.

Sora: Woah…This tastes like...Cotton candy!

Sora starts plucking more leaves and putting them into his mouth excitedly. As he eats, he starts to feel more curious about how the other parts of the forest taste.

Sora: Then, how about this?

Sora plucks some leaves from the wobbly and slimy grass and takes a small bite of it before coughing and spitting it out.

Sora: What's this…? It's sour…!

Fuwa: Your typical sour candy, but I made it more sour.

Fuwa then laughs cheekily and sticks out his tongue playfully.

Sora laughed and gave Fuwa a light, playful punch on the shoulder.

Sora: I'm glad to meet you again…You haven’t changed even after all these years!

And then, they spent lots of time exploring all the other parts of the park and creating new, wonderful memories together, until there was nothing left to explore. Both now find themselves back at the park's entrance, where Sora was first “summoned”.

Sora: Thanks for the tour, we have been exploring for quite a while, huh..? Does it mean that it's already morning in my world?

Fuwa: Yup.

Sora: Guess I’ve got to go back to reality now, it was nice hanging out with you again, it was fun! Let’s take the Sparkle Speedway ride again sometime, yeah?

However, Fuwa didn’t reply. Instead, he smiled.

But it isn’t his usual cheeky and mischievous smile.

Instead, it's a sinister and eerie smile.

Fuwa: You are never getting out of here.

Sora tilts his head in confusion, but tries to cover his confusion and the awkward tension with a small laugh.

Sora: Huh? What...Do you mean by that?

However, Fuwa’s face didn’t change.

Fuwa: Well~ Sora, you are... dead in your world.

Sora’s laughter froze in his throat.

The sun still shone, the sky still smiled.