<h1> Introduction </h1>
This interactive fiction is a spinoff of the novel Beyond Eden by Kai Dartt. Regardless of whether or not you've read the book, this game is playable with multiple endings to play through and unlock. You have several stats as the main character, Eden Penn, that will change the outcome of your story greatly.
The next step is the prologue, which you can skip or read through to gain valuable information on the people groups of the story. Either way, good luck, Reader!
<br>
[[Read the Prologue]]
[[Skip the Prologue->Go forth, Earth Child]](set: $int to $int + 5)
(display:"Feliyat")
<h1> Eden is Born </h1>
Elise Penn sat partially upright next to her husband, Daniel Penn. Both of them were enraptured by the minutes old infant they both made. The little girl they had been anxiously waiting on and planning for now sat in front of them, living, breathing, and happy. She was perfect, except for the fact that she hadn’t cried since she was out of the womb, which was the very reason the concerned doctor came to the room.
“Knock, knock, can I come in?” The soft spoken woman doctor asked. Her head was already poked through a crack in the door, and she saw Elise nod. “How is she?” Doctor Alma inquired, hoping for a better answer than she knew she would get.
“She’s perfect. Eden hasn’t even cried since she was born, but she’s breathing fine. That means she’s fine, right?” A worried mother tone rang out into the room. “Right?” Daniel put his hand on Elise’s shoulder. He knew two things: Eden was born right at 30 weeks, and that the Doctor was too busy to stop by for small talk. Something must have been wrong- but, hopefully, maybe not horribly wrong.
“I’m incredibly sorry, miss Elise, but I’m going to have to take your baby again.”
Elise complied, her hands shaking almost enough to drop her new baby. Almost.
“Is-is something wrong with her? Is she okay?”
Doctor Alma ignored her and continued her examination. She took out a small flashlight from her large, special doctor pocket, and shined it in baby Eden’s eyes, left to right.
“I don’t think she’s seeing some of this, Elise. I think your child is partially blind.”
She waved a finger in front of the baby, who barely followed it with her eyes. The adults talked, and Eden drooled onto the floor, squeezing her fingers as she recently learned she could do. Eden was amazed she could control her body- she’d never been able to do much of that where she was before!
“My baby is blind?” Elise said frantically. Daniel rubbed her back to try to console her, but he intently listened to the doctor. Considering the fact that she was born prematurely, this wasn’t the absolute worst thing that Doctor Alma could have told them. Daniel rationally paid attention, while his weeping wife distracted him.
“Well, not exactly. From what the imaging we did previously has revealed, it seems like the most likely case is cortical visual impairment, or CVI. Usually, vision can improve within the first few years of life, though, so there is still hope. Your baby will be okay, but she may be impaired.” Doctor Alma’s serious, doctorly tone lightened up when she realized her comforting words wouldn’t be as effective in this voice. “So, Eden, is it? That’s beautiful,” She tried. It worked.
“Yeah, um, it just felt like destiny, like her name came to me from the Gods.”
[[Skip to five years in the future]] Eden Elizabeth Penn sat on the floor of her new room. She had just moved out of Mommy and Daddy’s room, which she was exceptionally proud of, and she was drawing a picture. Her vision had not gotten better, but worse, in fact, and so she couldn't see much other than the general shape of things in the world. That's why today, she drew a stick woman with two oval ears and a long, stick nose. Next to her, she drew a stick man with large, worried oval eyes patting the stick woman on the back. Their names were, Eden decided, Mico and Mina, which she determined could be her mother and father’s real names. Her expression was puzzled- what were Mommy and Daddy’s names?
[[Mico and Mina, of course!]]
[[Ask Mom and Dad their names]]
[[View Stats and Map]](display: "main")
(set: $hp to 100)
(set: $coins to 10)
(set: $days to 0)You've been adventuring for $days days. You have $coins coins and your health is $hp
[[rest]]
[[adventure]]
(set: $hp to 100)(set: $days to $days + 1)
(set: $rest_text to (random: 1, 10))
(if: $rest_text > 5)[You wake the next morning after some well needed sleep.]
(if: $rest_text < 5)[It's morning again, and you're bright eyed and busy tailed ready for a new adventure!]
(if: $rest_text is 5)[You wake up feeling very refreshed, but you accidentally slept in!]
(display: "main")A monster appears! (Set: $monster_hp to 50)
[[fight]]
[[flee->main]] {
(if: (either: 0,1) is 1)[
[[The monster bites you!]] ]
(else:)
[[You hit the monster!]]
}
You are dead!
[[restart?|Init]](set: $drop to (random: 3, 10))
(set: $coins to $coins + $drop)
You collect $drop coins from the monster carcass! You have $coins and your health is $hp.
[[adventure]]
[[Go home|main]](if: (either: 0, 1) is 0) [
(set: $hp = $hp - (either: 10,25,55)) ]
(if: $hp < 1) [ [ You are [[dead]]!] ]
(else:)[ Your health is $hp.]
[[fight]]
[[flee|main]]
(set:$monster_hp = $monster_hp - (either: 20, 30))
(if: $monster_hp < 1)[The [[monster is dead]]!]
(if: $monster_hp > 1) [ [Its health is $monster_hp.]
[[fight]]
[[flee|main]] ]<h3> [[Now that you know this information, go forth, child of Earth, and lean into the hole.->Go forth, Earth Child]] </h3><h1> Feliyat </h1>
Considered to be brutes and animals, dispensable resources. The Feliyat are essentially lynx evolved over millions of years, to be Humanlike creatures with a surprising amount of intelligence. Like the Humans, they have evolved their language, and speak in their own foreign tongue called Tajaae. The language, like English, contains many vowel sounds, the most common letter and sound being 'a', or the ah sound. Another similarity is appearance.
The Feliyats look uncannily similar, like most of the races in Beyond, to the Human race. The reason for this is that evolution began to follow a pattern in the way the most intelligent of creatures were made to look. Some differences were maintained over time, though small and considered inconsequential in Beyond. The Feliyat have pointed ears, precise jaw lines, and somewhat slit eyes. They have evolved into omnivores, although their teeth are still razor sharp for eating meat. Their base skin color is tan.
Like most creatures in Beyond, religion is a vital aspect of life, and serving their god or goddess is a part of the law for some races. The Feliyat are strict on worship, and only those born with the mark of their God (exactly three darker stripes on the forehead) are spared for life. Some mothers protest the law, but it is strictly enforced among their race. The only way out of the law is to give up one's life in order to save one of their unmarked young, but an unmarked life is one that few would die to protect. To serve the Feliyat god, Aja'a, one must attend the Temple once a lunar phase. Only the Marked may attend the Temple of Aja'a, and any who fail to attend Her Temple for four consecutive phases, or sixteen Earth nights, are to be banished forever and exiled, their mark removed from their flesh. Those unlucky individuals who get their mark removed are considered, from that point on, to be Unmarked, or Farrae, translating to 'forbidden'.
Since the Feliyat currently lead the Anti-Human movement, their stance is negative towards Humans. Most affluent areas have Human soldiers or slaves to convey status.
[[Read about the Corviad race->Corviad]]
(set: $brv to 100 )
(set: $int to 100 )
(set: $hlt to 100 )
(set: $crt to 100 )
(set: $chm to 100 )
(set: $con to 100)
(set: $rel_fam to 100)
(set: $rel_len to 0)
(set: $rel_kaizo to 0)
(set: $rel_inorra to 0)
(display: "Intro")(set: $brv to $brv +10)
Clumsily, with her five year old gait, Eden walked out to the living room to ask her very serious question.
“Mommy and Daddy?” Her squeaky voice
requested. “What’s your names?” This took Elise somewhat by surprise, because she didn't know yet that five year olds were so inquisitive. Daniel just laughed, and he answered first.
“Daddy’s name is Daniel, and Mommy’s name is Elise.” Seeming very serious, Eden stuck her tongue out in sheer focus, spelling those difficult names out on the top of her drawing.
[[Go color again]]
[[View Stats and Map]]<h1> Corviad </h1>
Corviad are another race native to Beyond. Unlike the Feliyat, the Corviad were initially from Beyond as a crow-like species. Like crows, they are incredibly intelligent, although known as a dirty or unclean race among the other races of Beyond. Due to their ancestry, the Corviad are all born with black hair, almost purple in sheen. Some choose to dye it different colors, but it is considered by some older generations to be disrespectful to Cierus (Ch-EE-Russ), their God.
Cierus is supposed to be a cunning God, still alive, hidden among the common-folk of Beyond. Because of this belief that anybody could be their God, the most pious of the Corviad are among the nicest people, perpetuating the goodwill towards this kind religion. Those born with the mark, which is, in the Corviads' case, a single grey feather (Or hair, depending on how it is viewed), are considered to be eligible to be the reborn version of Cierus. Some consider those without the mark to be unholy, but others simply say they have other destinies than to be a god or goddess. Anybody bearing the mark of any gender can be Cierus in Beyond. Those who worship Cierus are of the religion Cieran, and therefore are Cierans.
The Corviads are raised to speak either (or both) Tajaae and English, seeing as the Earth is considered a sister realm to Beyond. Although almost nobody in Beyond or Earth knows how, travel between the two realms is said to be possible by a select few blessed by all four Gods of the realm. The children of the Corviad race usually first learn Tajaae, and then are strongly encouraged to learn basic English.
As far as appearance goes, the Corviad are the farthest from Human in the realm. Having three fingers, long feathery hair, and small, serrated teeth, they are instantly discernible from the Human race. Although their skin color varies, it tends to be pink, but it can be tan, or occasionally black or dark grey. Since they evolved from crows, they tend to be slightly smaller than Humans as well.
As previously mentioned, the Corviad are seen as unclean, probably because their ancestors feasted on the dead. In Beyond, the dead are sacred, just like on Earth. Because of the rumors of uncleanliness, many of the race value personal hygiene as one of their top priorities, so these days, the rumor is often just that. Due to the way they are seen by society, they are near the bottom of the social hierarchy, and therefore have fewer rights than an Ursiat or a Feliyat. However, the rights they do have, they use in pursuit of equality for their races.
Almost the entire Corviad race, in the year 162, banded together to peacefully support Human rights in front of the Feliyat Temple. Although the gesture was indeed noble and spoke lots about the religion Cieran and its people, the Feliyat queen was angered. She claimed it was insulting to Aja’a and all of her people, and slaughtered a thousand protesters, decimating about 1/8 of the population. This started the Ursiats’ Pro-H revolution, which still wages on valiantly today.
[[Read about the Suiicine race->Suiicine]]<h1> Suiicine </h1>
Suiicine are the closest to the Human race by far. Around a thousand years after the time when Beyond was first formed from the death of the sun, the first swine evolved into a more Human shape, forming what today we call the Suiicine people. Their race is not as diligent as the Feliyat, as strong as the Ursiat, or as intelligent as the Corviad, but they tend to possess the practical skills needed to be tailors, blacksmiths, carpenters, and cobblers. Their race evolved very similarly to the apes, and in turn, suffered the same traits that put them at the bottom of the food chain socially. With a pink, tan, or black spotted complexion, their skin is smooth as a Human's. Their hair can be any color a Human's hair can, but it tends to be light blonde or brown. As far as teeth go, theirs are mostly flat, tending to be vegetarians.
The Suiicine are of a religion of peace. Their God is Porcii, who is said to be residing on Earth. The Suiicine tend to be passive in social issues, and are passive in the war as well. Although the war has created more demand for soldiers than other industries, the Suiicine are often found in jobs that involve creating or fixing things. They are kind towards other races, although their religion, Porciian, is a religion that does not particularly encourage other groups of people to join. This exclusivity discourages the other races among Beyond’s society to join and worship Porcii, which has made Him the least popular higher power, Cieran being the second due to population differences. Their religion is strict- they have requirements on worship time, forcing many busy people to carve time out of their schedules to attend their Temple. Despite this, many of the followers are very devout, and some can spend hours building connections to Porcii and spreading their faith and goodwill to others. Porciian is far from the most prominent religion, and therefore it is the least developed.
[[Read about the Ursiat race->Ursiat]]<h1> Ursiat </h1>
Last, the Ursiat are the most ancient race. They have been residing in Beyond since the first living creatures, and were consequently the first to evolve. Their origin is from bears, particularly a species of brown bear. They are the second most respected socially, the first obviously being the Feliyat, the third being the Corviad, the Suiicine the fourth, and the Humans, the last. This social hierarchy is one the Ursiat have always fought against, although they are near the top, and they are in the lead for the Pro-Human movement. This core belief that Humans should be a part of an equal society stems from their religion, which is called Os.
There is no name for one who is a part of Os, other than follower of Os. The God of Os is actually named Os, and so it is considered redundant to say 'God of Os'. Followers of Os generally go to Temple every other moon phase, which is once every eight nights. The three key symbols of Os are spiders, sand, and sky. The spider represents patience, the sand represents being well grounded and present in the moment, and the sky represents hope. Those born with the mark of Os, which is blue eyes (typically representing blindness in the race), were, in ancient times, held as protectors of the races. Some take it to be their duties to protect Humans, as Os was said to have bestowed a Human with the mark of Os on Earth a special power. The most devout followers regard all Humankind as sacred, because any one Human could be the Human Os has chosen to be the revolutionary. Others do not believe in the legend, and can go as far as to be quite racist towards Humans like the Feliyat.
The language of the Ursiat is actually a form of English and Tajaae combined- or more accurately, Tajaae is a form of the Ursiat language and English combined, since Ursi existed first. Ursi is very difficult to learn, and its native speakers struggle to teach their young the language. This is why some Ursiats hone their English skills instead of focusing on their native language, and even learn to speak fluent English.
[[end prologue]]Your stats are as follows:
Your bravery is $brv
Your intelligence is $int
Your health is $hlt
Your creativity is $crt
Your charm is $chm
Your confidence is $con.
Right now, your relationships are:
You are
(if: $rel_fam is > 90) [incredibly close with your family. ($rel_fam)]
(if: $rel_fam is (range: 80, 90)) [close with your family.($rel_fam)]
(if: $rel_fam is (range: 50, 80)) [on good terms with your family.($rel_fam)]
(if: $rel_fam is (range: 30, 50)) [at odds with your family.($rel_fam)]
(if: $rel_fam is < 30) [fighting with your family.($rel_fam)]
You are (if: $rel_len is > 90) [in love with Lennon.($rel_len)]
(if: $rel_len is (range: 80, 90)) [very close with Lennon.($rel_len)]
(if: $rel_len is (range: 50, 80)) [friends with Lennon.($rel_len)]
(if: $rel_len is (range: 30, 50)) [not friends with Lennon.($rel_len)]
(if: $rel_len is (range: 1, 30)) [at odds with Lennon.($rel_len)]
(if: $rel_len is 0) [a stranger to Lennon.($rel_len)]
(if: $rel_len is < 0) [an enemy to Lennon.($rel_len)]
You are (if: $rel_kaizo is > 90) [in love with Kaizo.($rel_kaizo)]
(if: $rel_kaizo is (range: 80, 90)) [very close with Kaizo.($rel_kaizo)]
(if: $rel_kaizo is (range: 50, 80)) [friends with Kaizo.($rel_kaizo)]
(if: $rel_kaizo is (range: 30, 50)) [not friends with Kaizo.($rel_kaizo)]
(if: $rel_kaizo is (range: 1, 30)) [at odds with Kaizo.($rel_kaizo)]
(if: $rel_kaizo is 0) [a stranger to Kaizo.($rel_kaizo)]
(if: $rel_kaizo is < 0) [an enemy to Kaizo.($rel_kaizo)]
You are (if: $rel_inorra is > 90) [in love with Inorra.($rel_inorra)]
(if: $rel_inorra is (range: 80, 90)) [very close with Inorra.($rel_inorra)]
(if: $rel_inorra is (range: 50, 80)) [friends with Inorra.($rel_inorra)]
(if: $rel_inorra is (range: 30, 50)) [not friends with Inorra.($rel_inorra)]
(if: $rel_inorra is (range: 1, 30)) [at odds with Inorra.($rel_inorra)]
(if: $rel_inorra is 0) [a stranger to Inorra.($rel_inorra)]
(if: $rel_inorra is < 0) [an enemy to Inorra.($rel_inorra)]
<h2> Map of Beyond </h2>
<img src= "Map of Beyond.jpg">
<em> (link-goto: "Return", (history:)'s last) </em>(set: $crt to $crt +10)
When she was done, she gave her parents the drawing, which was put up on the refrigerator. Daniel marveled at the fact that his name was spelled with the letter Y, and Elise was simply flattered that Eden tried her best to draw her better than she drew Daniel. Eden was praised, and the drawing went on top of the refrigerator!
[[Go color again]]
[[View Stats and Map]](set: $brv to $brv + 15)
It made Eden, who was utterly confused (yet madly curious), reach out to touch it, with much caution. Her tiny finger tapped the rim of the hole, which felt paper thin. It was almost like she could rip it bigger, if she so pleased. Being five, she did so please, and so she stuck her littlest finger in the hole and tore downwards. To her quite apparent amazement, the hole did rip, and she swiped her finger back to her body in fear. Mommy’s gonna kill me, she whispered.
Apprehensively, she reached back into the hole, this time wondering how deep into the wall it went. Eden knew that the hole couldn’t be too deep, as the walls were thin and there was an entryway closet about the same place as the hole on the other side.
Upon sticking her hand in the hole, she realized something frightening- the hole didn’t end where it should have. Even at her age, she knew that her entire arm, up to her shoulder, shouldn't be able to reach into the wall and not touch anything. What about the wood in the walls, and insulation (Or cotton candy, as she dubbed it)? On top of the other oddities, the opening seemed to have a breeze, like a light windy afternoon coming from inside.
[[Take your parents to your room!->Go get Mommy!]]
[[View Stats and Map]](set: $brv to $brv - 5)
(set: $rel_fam to $re_fam + 10)
(set: $int to $int + 5)
Eden crawled out from underneath her bed and scrambled to her feet, running to the living room and tugging on her mother’s pink blouse.
“Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, there is a
great big hole under my bed, it's in the wall and I made it bigger and Mommy, it’s too deep to be a hole!” Eden spit out frantically, barely having caught her breath from running down the hall so fast. Elise, bewildered that her little child could speak so quickly, smiled and put her hand on Eden’s left cheek.
“Sweetie, did you break through the
wall? That's okay, Daddy can just cover it up. We all make mistakes, but thank you for telling me- it shows real maturity, Eden.” Her daughter looked vaguely disturbed about the thought of the hole just being covered, as if it were never there in the first place.
However, she did want to show it to her
parents. Maybe then, she thought, they would see the problem that she did. So, with caution, she led her mother and collected her father on the way to her room to show them her mysterious, anomalous hole in her wall. Another strange thing happened.
[[Show them the hole]]
[[View Stats and Map]] “Eden, baby, I don’t see anything.” Elise said, sounding worried. Daniel chimed in.
“I don’t either, honey. Are you sure it was right here, under your bed?” Eden looked at the both of them like they were crazy. What were they talking about? The hole was right in front of their faces, staring them down with its gaping maw.
“What do you guys mean? The hole is right there!” The couple’s feisty daughter snapped.
[[Argue further]]
[[Let it go]]
[[View Stats and Map]]Eden ran back to her room to draw some more pictures, and again her seat was on the floor, ignoring the soft, big girl bed in the corner of the room. It was a daybed, and it had a very tall mattress on it that Eden was proud she could finally reach- it was why she moved out of her parents’ rooms in the first place.
One of her colors- it was a red one- rolled out of her hand and under her bed after she set it down. Eden decided she would drop everything to save her favorite red crayon, and go deep cavern diving under her bed to rescue it. In the silliest way possible, Eden creatively dove under her bed, seeing her red crayon just ahead. One thing was out of place, though.
Underneath her bed was a mysterious, blacker-than-black hole, staring at her from the wall her bed was pressed up against. It seemed to glow and throb, growing glacially with each pulse.
[[Touch it]]
[[Go get Mommy!]]
[[View Stats and Map]](set: $chm to $chm - 5)
(set: $con to $con + 10)
(set: $int to $int +5)
Eden, to further illustrate her point, stuck her hand in the hole, making herself shiver, but this time, her hand wouldn't go through. It was like the hole was a 2-D painting, something drawn into the wall, but not really existing in any other state. This made her look stupid, she thought, as she just proved herself wrong in front of both of her parents.
Her mother whispered something to her father, and then they both laughed out loud and emerged from underneath the bed.
“We get it- you’re playing pretend!” Daniel let her in on the joke. Surely, Eden hoped, that was a joke. She became cross and agitated.
“I am not playing pretend!” Her tiny voice squeaked, much to the regrettable amusement of her parents. Daniel laughed, but Elise punched him in the shoulder when she realized they had upset their daughter.
“Eden, we’re sorry. We didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. We’ll let you play by yourself for a while, okay?” Daniel and Elise departed and closed the door behind them as they left. Eden was alone with her hole that, apparently, only she could see, and she was still grumpy.
[[Take a catnap]]
[[Investigate the hole more]]
[[View Stats and Map]](set: $rel_len to $rel_len + 3)
Tired and irritated, Eden took a nap like most kindergarteners do when they are sleepy, and was out within minutes of the whole ordeal with her parents.
Her sleep wasn't very restful, though, as she dreamt of a great big black bear, taller than the tallest trees, with blue, glossed over eyes. The bear spoke to her, and picked her up. Although she was not afraid, something about the whole thing felt eerily familiar, although it logically couldn’t have been. Eden rode with the big bear to a pyramid structure, where she was set down gently to watch the little people below her bow down to the bear. It was cold in her dream. Nothing could permeate the cold except the voice of a stranger, a little boy about her age.
“Aedan, Aedan...” His voice spoke, hushed like a calm, warm tide, washing over her ears like seashells being swept about in the ocean. Something felt like it belonged, it was the strangest thing. It felt like she knew the boy, somehow, like she was meant to say something back...
"Hello?" She said in her sleep, waking herself up. The hole was gone when she looked again. What a strange dream!
[[Skip ahead to your sixteenth birthday.]]
[[View Stats and Map]]Eden crawled underneath her daybed. There was the hole, gaping open and jagged around its paper thin edges. There was a sound was coming from the hole, this time clear as day. This sound was a boy, who seemed to be very upset. By now, even as just a kid, she knew better than to go fetch her mother again. She would look like she was crying wolf, and then she might not be believed in more dire circumstances. So, Eden spoke, out of a cracking voice, one word.
“Hello?”
The boy said something in response, so quietly it was almost inaudible. This caused her to lean into the hole... and [[fall in!]]!!
[[View Stats and Map]]Double-click this passage to edit it.Eden fell headfirst into the hole, plummeting through a cold and snowy darkness for what felt like an hour. Finally, as she was losing hope, she landed- right on a boy her age!
He looked at her, tears in his eyes with the saddest expression she had ever seen on a boy. They both recoiled away from each other to the opposite sides of the small room. Eden got up quickly, and he mirrored her actions.
[["Why are you crying, you big baby?"]]
[["I'm sorry, did I hurt you? Are you okay?"]]
[[View Stats and Map]](set: $rel_len to $rel_len - 15)
(set: $chm to $chm - 15)
(set: $con to $con + 5)
Eden snipped at the boy defensively, her pride having taken more damage than her body. She looked around and noticed something strange about her environment. Everything was extremely sharp around the edges. There was so much more detail in the world, and she could see even the tiniest things and objects far away from her. Out the small square window, she could see a bustling crowd full of people, some hurried and some enjoying the beautiful weather.
Eden blinked twice as if she could not believe her eyes. Not only were they working, but they were seeing <em> cat people </em> and other animal-like men and women on the streets!
[[View Stats and Map]]Double-click this passage to edit it.
[[View Stats and Map]]
(if: $brv >100) [ [[Investigate the hole more]] ]
[[Take a catnap]]