Blue Planet, a world brimming with technological prosperity.
Here, in a fan group chat named "Sakura Fubuki's Little Nest," dozens of quirky players obsessed with 2D games have gathered.
Today, the atmosphere in the group was especially lively.
"So, 'Journey of the Fairies' seems to be available for download, and the public test is about to start?" A group member named Pure Widow initiated the topic with immense excitement.
"Really? I've been waiting for this game for so long!"
Lin Xi Cao, another group member, responded eagerly.
"It must be true! I heard the game is filled with beautiful girl characters. I can't wait to start pulling cards!" Wild Little Bird showed a eager face.
Just as everyone was enthusiastically discussing, a group member named "Sakura Fubuki's Iron Fan" suddenly shared a link.
['Journey of the Fairies' Prologue PV: 'The Blooming of the Flower of Destiny']
"Check this out! It's a new PV just released by the official channel!"
Everyone clicked on the link, and the video began to play slowly.
The scene opened with the devastating sight of Liuguang City.
The city was in ruins, with survivors filled with fear and despair.
A magnetic voiceover slowly began.
[A meteor streaked across the night sky, bringing with it the disaster beasts from the stars.]
The scene suddenly switched.
A charming figure abruptly appeared on screen.
With pink long hair, exquisite features, and a mysterious smile at her lips, it was none other than Tao Yao!
She strolled through the streets with her maid, Shiro, completely unaffected by the surroundings.
[The apostles hidden among the people quietly revealed themselves...]
After Tao Yao's appearance, the voiceover's tone grew tense.
Under the clean and precise attacks of the maid, the guards quickly fell.
Tao Yao and her maid continued forward effortlessly.
[Legend has it that when the flower of destiny blooms, the fairies will bring destruction to the world.]
The scene shifted to the core area of Liuguang City.
A seed emitting an eerie red light hovered in mid-air, and Tao Yao gently touched its surface.
Suddenly, the seed cracked open, revealing a crimson bud.
When the bud fully bloomed, a beautiful girl emerged from its center.
"Is this me?" "I look beautiful!"
"Though I don't understand, it feels incredibly impressive!"
Lines of comments floated across the video.
On screen, the girl blinked in confusion, seeming as helpless as a newborn child.
Tao Yao approached, tenderly extending her hand.
"What a pitiful child. Let me give you a reason to live!"
On screen, Tao Yao pressed a ball of light into the girl's chest.
[The beautiful creation plunged into darkness...]
The voiceover echoed again.
The girl began to writhe in pain.
"Do not resist..."
Tao Yao's mysterious and seductive voice emerged from the video.
"Follow your heart, pursue everything you desire..."
Horrifying changes occurred to the girl.
Her hair turned silver instantly, and her luxurious clothes fluttered without wind.
Hiyakura, resembling a frenzied disaster beast, began to destroy everything around her, battling fiercely with the protagonist group.
Her eyes were utterly vacant, filled only with an endless desire to attack.
Then.
The screen gradually blurred, and a deep, magnetic male voice slowly sounded.
[The forbidden seed has awakened.]
[Awoken from within the petals, you hurry into the journey.]
[Before reaching the journey's end, will you rediscover yourself?]
As the male voice concluded with an enigmatic narration, the PV abruptly ended.
The group fell silent, everyone seemingly digesting the shocking content they had just witnessed.
"Amazing, all female characters!"
"I'm getting more excited for this game!"
The PV caused a massive sensation online.
Numerous players began eagerly anticipating the game's release.
Amidst the PV's fervor, an intense discussion erupted across the internet.
"The pink-haired girl looks a bit evil, but she really hits my XP! I wonder if she'll be in the 1.0 version's gacha pool?" one player asked expectantly.
"In the gacha pool? Wake up, she's definitely a weekly boss!" someone quickly poured cold water on the idea.
"Newcomers might not know, but this is Tao Yao. During the beta, she was part of a villainous organization causing destruction. She'll definitely become a weekly boss; we'll get materials from farming her." A beta tester kindly explained.
"Such a finely modeled character—wouldn't it be a waste to just use her as a boss?" someone lamented.
Aside from the debates about Tao Yao, players were also curious about other characters in the game.
"Shiro seems like a cold maid, looks super strong. I wonder if she'll be in the gacha pool?"
"My favorite is the purple-haired protagonist. Gentle personality, good to me, often cooks meals. Definitely a must-train!"
"Beta player here. Trust me, Hiyakura is unbeatable, tanky and deals damage, plus she's the main character and can switch forms. Truly worth training!"
Amidst players' various speculations and expectations, the public test for 'Journey of the Fairies' quietly arrived.
However, to everyone's surprise, the game launched ahead of schedule!
"What's going on? Wasn't the server supposed to open at 2 PM? Why can I enter now?"
"Oh no, I'm not ready yet! This is way too sudden!"
"Haha, I love this move! Game companies need this kind of swift, unexpected style!"
Though some players were bewildered, more eagerly flooded into the game.
The servers instantly became overloaded, countless players scrambling to create characters.
Soon, the game's opening CG began.
Amidst the chaos in Liuguang City, Tao Yao and her maid ventured into the city.
Then, the seed capable of nurturing fairies sprouted into a beautiful new shoot.
H awoke from slumber.
And thus, the story began.
"How pitiful! Not knowing who you are—does that mean you don't even have a name?"
At this point, players could choose the system-assigned name, Hiyakura, or set their own names, triggering unique dialogues differing from defaults.
In 'Journey of the Fairies', unlike other games, NPCs would call out any approved name during gameplay.
Some shameless players went as far as entering absurd and abstract IDs like "husband", "wife", or even "dad".
If players chose their own names, Tao Yao would address them in her gentle tone.
"XX? Hmm... Are you sure that's the name you want?"
"Hmm... It suits you. Though not what I expected, if you like it, then I like it too."
And then, just as the PV teased, H's body experienced anomalies.
Tao Yao unleashed the power of the fairy seed, driving Hiyakura into madness, initiating a series of destruction.
During this process, players could also control a fully powered Hiyakura, battling various guards, giving players a taste of Hiyakura's five-star form skills.