Beginnings

Beginnings is a short story set in the Elsaverse. It was originally released on August 1, 2016, in HTML format, as a Patreon perk for Tora Productions supporters, chronologically being the first text-based story to be ever released in this fictional universe. It was publicly released on March 28, 2020, and then included in the Elsaverse Omnibus Vol.1 bundle that came out on August 5, 2021.

As its title hints, the story explains the origins of some special relationships that were already ongoing in Dreaming with Elsa (2015) and Redemption for Jessika (2016), the two games that were already out when Beginnings was first released. The narrative intertwines three storylines, moving from one to another and then jumping back, thus enhancing the feeling of them happening chronologically in a certain order, or even simultaneously, during the same day. Beginnings is intended to be read immediately after playing Redemption for Jessika.

Plot
Sitting in a coffee shop at the mall, Sylvia is reading a book when a young guy approaches her table and pathetically tries to flirt with her. Annoyed, she chooses to ignore him, but the guy keeps pushing his luck, unable to detect the obvious signals she's sending with her dismissive attitude. A young woman who's observing the scene decides to intervene, asking him to leave Sylvia alone; when he sees the attractive newcomer, he quickly turns his attention to her, but she cuts him harshly, implying she's lesbian. The guy runs away, and Sylvia thanks the other girl for her help. Sarah introduces herself to Sylvia: she is a waitress and an aspiring musician who seems to be a free spirit, while Sylvia is a prim and proper policewoman. They are totally opposite, but both seem to be clearly interested in each other. However, the meeting is cut short when Sarah gets a phone call from Jessica, her friend, who excitedly informs her that their band has just been booked to perform that evening as the opening act for a very popular rock band. It's their first gig ever, and Sylvia congratulates her, although she feels a bit down as her new friend needs to go. Then, while they are saying goodbye, Sarah works up the nerve to give Sylvia her phone number, and Sylvia promises to call her sometime.

In another part of the city, Marc is getting ready to go out with her girlfriend, Nancy. There's a long-awaited concert by FlareUp, a great rock band Marc is a big fan of, and they plan to go. Or, at least, that's what Marc thought: suddenly, his girlfriend confesses to him that she's bored of them never doing anything else than going to rock concerts, and forces him to choose between FlareUp or her. He chooses the concert, and Nancy breaks up with him. Left alone, Marc is waiting for the show to start, reflecting on whether he has made the right choice; the fact that the announced opening act has been canceled due to a food poisoning seems like a bad omen for the night. But once the replacement band comes on the stage, Marc's attention is immediately drawn to their beautiful singer and their catchy music. Although their names aren't mentioned, it's obvious they are Mayhem.

Meanwhile, a mysterious cat named Stalker has arrived in Sangrive, hidden as a stowaway in a ship. He has a mission: the "elders" have ordered him to find a specific woman, and he doesn't hesitate to resort to expeditive methods to get info from other cats. Eventually, Stalker finds the place, and the woman, he's looking for. When Sylvia enters Elysian Books to get the next title on the saga she's reading, Stalker takes the chance to slip in the store too, and Elsa immediately takes care of him. The third and last picture of the story reveals that this intriguing cat is actually Tora.

Miscellaneous

 * In Redemption for Jessika, during one of their dates, Jessica and Marc talk about this very same Mayhem's first concert. Jess confesses that she was so nervous that she skipped the first song's chorus, and then broke a string. FlareUp guitarist saved the situation by giving her one of his guitars and encouraging her to keep playing, as he could see her potential to be a star - although she currently thinks it could have been just her power influencing him.


 * In Dreaming with Elsa, which was released one year before Beginnings, Tora is referred to as a 'she'. From this story on, however, Tora's gender is reassigned, and is always referred to as a 'he'.


 * In Saving Chloe (2018), Xara uses the name Stalker when addressing Tora, and she explains to Lucas that, although Elsa uses a wrong name, the cat doesn't mind. Why Xara knows Tora's real name remains a mystery.


 * As of February 2022, up to 12 more Elsaverse titles have been released since Beginnings came out. So far, no new info about Stalker's provenance or mission has been disclosed.