A Brief History of Divine Instruments, Vol. 1

Prior to his desertion, Lieutenant Colonel Anre Diehs had been known as a genius strategist and cutthroat leader with few allies, even within his own regiment. When he was twenty-three, Diehs became a Captain, making him eligible for the Naming ritual and subsequently for obtaining his first Divine Instrument. Unfortunately, for an undisclosed reason, this ritual failed. Diehs seemingly did not attempt the ritual again until he became a Lieutenant Colonel. This one, however, succeeded, and Diehs bonded with Divine Instrument 1a059, which he would give the name “Halcyon.”

Almost exactly forty-five days after bonding with 1a059, Diehs disappeared during a harsh winter. The disappearance was officially ruled as desertion.

A Brief History of Divine Instruments, Vol. 1 is a short piece of interactive fiction written for the Single Choice Jam 2024. Though I had all month, I somehow only worked on it in two days after finally deciding what to do. 

There is one choice. Please choose wisely, and don't look.

Approximately 6000 words. Play time will depend on your reading speed.

Credits:

• NPS: Fire sound, "singing lake" sound.
• Klankbeeld of freesound.org: Windy room sound.
• Bryan Rodriguez of Unsplash: Icey background image.

Warnings (spoilers):

• Claustrophobia
• Blood & very light gore (in all choices)
• House fire (in one choice - "His father")
• Decapitation (in one choice - "His father")
• Torture (in one choice - "Himself")
• Death (in one choice - "Halcyon")
• Death of parents (technically off-screen) (more prominent in "His father" choice)
• Mentions of war/"Crusades"
• Referring to a humanoid as a thing ("it")