The Mission

At some point in our lives, we're asked this question: 

"What would you wish for—if you could make a wish?"

Power, wealth, beauty, knowledge or... love?

If we’re ambitious enough then… more wishes?

On Galleon, this dream became reality—and nightmares soon followed.

One wish from a page gave birth to all attributes, the powers most people possess.

Another wish resulted in the creation of Galleon’s universal currency: the Leaf.

When more pages were discovered, the few who had touched them unlocked a curse wrapped inside the blessing. A constant whisper tugged at their minds, revealing the direction of every page. 

They were in a sense, chained by the book's pages.

Friends turned into rivals overnight. 

Nations tore themselves apart as wish-touched souls followed the pull. 

A minor conflict escalated into a war. War V—the War for Keys —where brother hunted brother.

Many consumed by an obsession to possess a page.

A single page brought wonder and destruction to their massive planet.

Heavy rain batters the ancient brick tower as the sun hides below the horizon.

Brenda Carvajal, the eldest of the King's remaining guardians, paces before the withered book. It looks ordinary enough—until its gilded pages catch the fading sunlight and shimmer with an unnatural power.

Candace Tesfaye, the youngest, winds the hands of her golden pocket watch.

Victoria Lombardi grits her teeth and glares at the bright city in the distance.

Brenda gathers her thoughts before turning to face them.

“The sooner we get to the capital Mythos, the better. The empire should grant us asylum in its embassy. As for this book, since its pages are in one place, its hunters will easily track them down. I'm afraid our best option right now is to separate them long enough that their ability to sense the pages grows weaker.”

“And should they succeed during their pursuit?” Candace closes her pocket watch.

“If they catch us now, they'll only get one wish before the pages scatter again. I’m also aware that anything can happen during this mission. Thus, Victoria and I will serve as a distraction. This should give you ample time to escape with it, Candace.”

Candace drops her pocket watch.

“If anything, I should be the one to stay behind!”

Victoria quickly assembles the remaining parts of her yellow rifled musket. Brenda notices the look of displeasure on her junior's face.

“Believe me, Victoria, I dread us having to separate, too, but...”

“I’m aware! We've already lost King Ermias’s other guardians trying to protect it. Not to mention the safety of our families could easily be jeopardized. I’m tired of running away all the time!”

A deep rumble shakes the tower.

Dust falls from the ceiling.

The three women freeze.

Victoria hurries to the window.

“They’re here.”

She snatches her weapons.

Brenda catches Victoria’s tired expression, but says nothing, before gathering her things.

Candace hides the book in a satchel.

Brenda opens a wall that leads down a secret passage.

They hurry down the humid tunnel, as soldiers march just above them.

Their enemies crash through the gates, a few mages lift a boulder which smashes into the tower, causing it to collapse.

The trio move with extreme caution and manage to sneak into the industrial city.

Back at the tower, some of the soldiers feel the sudden disappearance of the book and gesture for the others to follow its trail.

Brenda uses a purple card to lift her comrades up the rooftop of a building.

Victoria spots a group of soldiers searching the very alley that concealed them.

A few soldiers regroup and report to their leader. She is cloaked in a long white hood and dressed in black armor. She nonchalantly twirls her long white braid, her expression sour.

“Lady Dietrich, we've looked everywhere but there’s no sign of them.”

The woman looks to the sky as if searching for an answer.

“The trail led us to this city, so the pages shouldn't be too far. Where are they…?”

A thought occurs to her and the corners of her red lips pull back into a smile.

The faint clatter of armor echoes in Victoria’s ears as they approach a bridge that leads to an empty platform. Across the bridge, another platform comes into view, where a handful of passengers wait beside a steam engine preparing to depart.

“We’re almost there!” Candace cheers.

Victoria turns around to find soldiers flying towards them, almost covering the sky.

“Candace, stop them!” Victoria’s cry echoes.

Candace grips her shortest spear and aims it in the direction of a few soldiers.

“Hour hand, hold!”

Some of those soldiers freeze mid-flight, while Candace clutches her chest in pain.

Brenda forces the remaining soldiers to the ground using her playing cards , then unsheaths her blade.

Victoria looks onward as more soldiers draw near.

“It's alright Candy, you don't need to sacrifice any more of your time. We’ll finish this, I'll make sure of that.” Victoria uses her butterflies to lift herself higher. She fires rapid rounds at more soldiers.

Candace hesitates, before taking the silver spear and sticking it into the ground.

“Second hand, shocking surge!” She yells.

Lightning sparks from her spear, releasing a massive ripple over her opponents.

The three guardians hold their ground against hundreds of combatants.

One soldier fires a beam of light at Brenda, piercing through her stomach.

Brenda cries out in pain.

Candace hurries to her side.

Brenda pushes her away, protecting her from an incoming attack.

Victoria rejoins them and creates crystal butterfly shields.

“We’re running out of tricks,” Victoria says while maintaining the shields.

“Then…we need…to release Keys!” Brenda wheezes between breaths.

“Not yet. I-I can still use—” Candace is cut off by a cracking sound.

The shields dissolve due to the mages’ combined attacks.

“Victoria, Candace, run…” Brenda pleads.

Before anyone has time to react, Brenda’s body falls to the ground.

Victoria grabs Candace, and they race for the bridge.

Dark energy released from an unknown source destroys half of the bridge. Victoria curses under her breath as it crumbles into the deep river below.

The damage is seen by a few passengers and panic ensues.

“My butterflies will get you to the other side.” She looks onwards

“Victoria, I don’t want to lose you too…I just can’t…”

“Stop crying! We don't have that luxury. Ready or not, we have to do this.”

The soldiers inch closer and closer. Victoria uses her golden butterflies to lift Candace off the ground. They flutter all the way to the other side of the broken bridge, while she screams in protest.

Victoria then blocks the white hooded figure’s black scythe using her musket. The figure dodges out of the line of fire. The mystery figure removes her hood, smiling.

“Hello V. How’ve you been?” The woman casually flicks her long white braid.

“You…haven’t aged at all Mallory Dietrich! Tell me this. Is possessing a page worth sacrificing the lives of our comrades and these innocent people!?”

Victoria doesn’t wait for a response. She takes aim and fires several more shots in Mallory’s direction. Mallory surges forward with incredible speed, closing the distance in an instant. She swings her scythe in a rapid series of strikes, cutting into Victoria again and again before delivering one final, deep slash across Victoria’s left shoulder.

Candace, who’s made it to the other side of the collapsed bridge, is left mortified.

Victoria cries in agony and falls on her knees. Mallory pulls her up by her hair.

“Acquiring the book is my right and if it means my people survive, then yes, every sacrifice is worth it. Rest in pieces, love.”

“I swear I’ll make sure you never get what you want!” Candace aims the golden spear at Mallory.

Mallory backs away slightly.

“Bold words from a coward. Give me the Keys!!”

Candace clutches the book tighter and races toward the steam train. With the last of her strength, Victoria raises the revolver and fires in Mallory’s direction. The bullet grazes Mallory’s right ear and eye. A moment later, Victoria draws her final breath.

Mallory shrieks while covering the fresh wound.

Candace quickly releases the pages, they form a circular wall around her.

“What are you doing, Candace? Stop!” Mallory cries, reaching out with her bloodied hand.

“Keys, I wish for your pages to separate and hide for the next 100 years!” Candace yells.

The pages glow and scatter to the four winds. Candace seizes this opportunity to escape.

The soldiers are left speechless, and Mallory's face twists with anger.

"Fools, all three of them. Hurry, and search for those pages!"

The hunt begins as War V finally comes to an end.

Candace finds herself inside one of the cabins while clutching a golden train ticket.

Her three spears transform into tiny hands on her pocket watch.

Numerous glowing orbs reappear around her. She reaches out and takes one of the white, luminous orbs, roughly the size of a grapefruit. Suspended inside is a delicate locket, its center adorned with a brilliant ruby encircled by golden rays resembling the sun.

She pulls the orb close to her chest, its warm light comforting her in this moment of sadness and uncertainty.

Tears fall from her eyes and she weeps alone.

The train whistles as it continues its journey to the empire’s capital.

Approximately one hundred and sixty-seven years have passed since that day.

The book faded into legend. Most forgot about it and moved on.

Some, however, did not.

They hungered for its powers—and they would not stop until they were satisfied…