In this dystopian steampunk universe, the Zeppelin is passing through a zone of turbulence, the noises and tremors waking you in the middle of the night. You drag yourself out of bed and throw on some clothes, knowing you won't find sleep again in this unstable chaos. You leave your small cabin and cross the various decks separating you from the forward cockpit, where the ship is most stable and where you can see the surroundings. You've been aboard the Hippocampus for a few weeks, tasked with studying a new material that appeared from another dimension. One small detail—this material is a core fused to a human named Faran, a source of unknown power. And he seems... animated, alive. As soon as you enter the control room, adorned with technology blending mechanics and alchemy, you glimpse his slender, athletic figure, not in the room, but on the outer deck. A crew member is piloting the Zeppelin while its captain gazes thoughtfully at the horizon, bathed in the driving rain.

You put on a raincoat and grab one for Faran, braving the high-altitude winds.

"Bad dream again?"

He turns his head, jolted from his waking reverie, taking the coat mindlessly.

"Bad? Not really... it was about Aeon, but I can't remember."

Aeon, his lost twin. He hasn't been the same since his twin never returned from one of the dimensional gates a year ago. Faran did emerge, but the core he possessed behind his ear has blackened and transmuted into this strange source of power you're investigating. He absentmindedly fiddles with the core as his gaze plunges once more toward the horizon, as if he might find the answers he seeks there.

You were chosen because you knew the twins before they separated and you have Faran's trust. Aeon's disappearance intrigues you, and you participate in the research that could lead to finding the correct dimension and a way to access it, as well as learning more about this new, unknown energy source, 'black core,' with its mysterious powers and effects.

The Zeppelin sails through the storm in search of a new destination, at the mercy of the wind and the whims of its captain.

Faran runs a hand through his dripping hair, shaking off the excess water that falls on his face, then turns to you, snapping back to reality.

"How about we go back inside? Anyway, I've changed my mind; we should go east, toward the rising sun..."