We Will Burn

Your story begins with an 18-19 year old , who comes from a place simply known as "The Desert" in a land called Paradisia. One day, you receive a life-changing letter into a prestigious academy over half way across the country.  Overjoyed, you hope that this year will be your best year yet. 

However,  life is never as simple as it appears. Before you know it, you are flung into a reality entirely different than yours -- in a figurative and literal way. Magic is definitely real, and you're learning it. Your reflection is sentient, and it is pressuring you to remember events  you have no recollection of. The people you gravitate towards are strange, but you feel tied to them to some type of way. Lastly, you are given two main objects by a masked figure hunting you down in your dreams.

1) Remember the truth

2) Do not repeat your past mistakes

Will you ever find the truth?  What mistakes have you made? And, how bad can it be if you have forgotten it entirely? 

While the protagonist is influenced by Northern-African and Arabian culture, you are still able to choose their first name and pronouns. Currently, there is only a female model for the protagonist. There are also 5 core traits that are directly affected by many choices in the game.

1) Morals : These will decide if your character is more benevolent or closer to amoral.

2) Knowledge: This will decide if you might have been under-qualified academically for the spot at the academy or the biggest brainiacs known to living kind

3) Attitude: This will decide if your character is more bold or cautious

4) Outlook: This will decide if your character is a pessimist, realist, or an optimist; it'll change anything from small comments to how your "reflection" speaks to you.

5) Mind:  This will decide if your character is more in tune with their intuition or more observant with logical reasoning. 

The protagonist can be furthered influenced by 5 skills (Creativity, Fitness, Charisma, Handiness, and Magic). 

"Noor" Farouq: Alongside a general lack of enthusiasm, your character is "blessed" with the ability to get into people's head -- quite literally to some degree. Although, the only person you can see through at the beginning is yourself, and even that is a stretch as you can't remember most of who you are. It'll take a lot of work to advance in your ability to let others "let down their mask": whether you do it for good or for personal benefits is entirely up to you.  

**Author's note: If you cannot decide on a name, the default is set to Noor. The name translates to "Light" and has many alternate spellings. 

Crimson: Although she is easily one of the most popular girls in school due to her affluence and energy, Crimson subverts your protagonist's expectations by seeming genuinely kind and smart. You definitely knows she is connected to your past but not exactly sure how, forcing you to get close.  Just don't talk about her nightly pastimes or sudden breakdowns, and you'll get along like a house on fire. 

Erasme Crimson : The younger brother of the aforementioned mono-named girl, it's no surprise he shares the popularity. He assumes the role of prince charming: silver-tongued,  always volunteering himself to help others, and both academically and artistically inclined. However, you get this really weird vibe from him, but maybe it's just the intense, unwavering golden(?) gaze.

Estelle Lyra: Her destiny is written in the stars, she claims, but she doesn't seem too worried by it. In fact, this jovial, loud young lady always has her best act on; no wonder she is the acclaimed theater star. If you can get past her initial chattiness,  you might be able learn if that eccentricity is a natural trait or simply a cover.

Jihun Tae:  While he's always in detention (which he's far too old for it to be effective) and causing trouble, he often keeps his rowdy group from committing actual crimes. Once you get past the intimidation factor, he's quite the mellow soul. There is always this distance sadness to him; perhaps your unintentionally depressing energy will allow you to bond. 

Kiana Johnson:  Studious, straightforward, and... single are the words Kiana most often used to describe herself. Recently returning to the academy after a near fatal accident, she is steadfast in trying to piece her life back to its "former glory" but there is one tinsy-tiny issue. It's obvious you can see what happened on the outside but you are much more interested in how she changed internally. 

Karim Sultana: Everyone's too serious nowadays -- luckily there's a delightful air-headed jock to be the breath of fresh air.  The renowned tri-season athlete, Karim, is the best person to talk to if you ever just need to hear something silly. He may not be the smartest but he makes it up fully through his sweetness and somewhat gentlemanly charm. 

•  A ~15k word demo

• A (semi) fluid time mechanic system

• Daily choices

•  7 CGs (thus far)

(Mild) Cursing

*Planned Late Game: Mentions of violence (in character storylines, never graphically depicted) 

Topics surrounding mental health: disorders and illnesses

Illegal activity (story with troubled young adults, did you expect anything else?)

Thanks

If you have made it to the bottom of this page, thank you so much for checking this game out. Since this a senior project (high school), I would also like to thank my mentor for keeping me accountable and my friends for volunteering themselves to make sure the story isn't crap. I hope to update every month at most (I know how painful waiting for game updates can be).