February 2019 – Explorer's Landing
The park was quiet.
Winter air hung over the empty paths, cold and still.
Inside the new showbuilding, lights glowed faintly through the dust.
Lucas stepped through the maintenance door, hands in his coat pockets.
It smelled of paint and fresh wood — that clean, nervous scent that only came before an opening.
The worklights hummed. Somewhere deeper inside, a drill whined for a second, then stopped.
The queue wound around him now, complete for the first time.
Walls carved like temple stone, faded murals of explorers and gods.
Torches flickered with slow, steady light.
No cables left, no open panels. Just atmosphere.
He walked slowly, brushing his fingers along the rockwork.
Every detail was done by hand — cracks, moss, even the faint gold shimmer under the torchlight.
He stopped near the preshow door. The speakers were silent, but he knew what would play there soon.
The music had weight. It told the story before anyone spoke.
Further in, the first ride vehicles stood parked on the turntable.
Matte bronze frames, dark seats, the Elysion emblem on the side.
ETF's logo still faint on a few parts, waiting to be covered.
One of the engineers gave him a small nod. "Last system test passed this morning."
Lucas smiled. "Good. It's time."
He walked through the scenes one by one.
The Chamber of Echoes, the bridges, the glowing crystals, the final hall.
Each space felt alive now, no longer a construction site.
Water effects ran soft and clear. Lights faded exactly on cue.
It wasn't fantasy — it felt real.
At the last scene, he stopped.
A temple door slowly opened, fog rolling through the beams of blue light.
The main figure — the god of the lost realm — stood tall behind it, motionless but powerful.
Every servo hummed, perfectly silent from the guest's path.
Walter's voice came from behind. "Can you believe it's the same hall we stood in a year ago?"
Lucas turned, still watching the animatronic. "I can. Because I saw it back then too. Just not finished yet."
Walter chuckled quietly. "You really think it's ready?"
Lucas nodded once. "More than ready. It's time to let people see what we've built."
He stayed there for a while after Walter left.
Only the sound of slow water and faint mechanical breathing filled the air.
For the first time since the start, he didn't think about budgets or deadlines.
He just looked around and let it sink in.
This was the moment before everything changed again.
The small media room was packed.
Emma sat near the front, tablet ready.
Walter leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
On the big screen, the final edit of the dark ride trailer waited to play.
Lucas took a slow breath. "All right. Let's see it."
The lights dimmed.
Soft strings began to play, rising over the sound of distant thunder.
The screen showed nothing but fog at first — then torchlight, and the shadow of a statue.
A voice whispered: "Beyond the ruins lies the lost realm."
Music swelled.
Quick flashes followed — glowing corridors, a moving ride vehicle, water rushing through stone, a god's hand reaching out of darkness.
The camera pulled back to show the massive temple façade, golden light spilling out as the doors opened.
The logo faded in:
Elysion Park – The Lost Realm. Opening March 2019.
Silence filled the room when it ended.
Emma exhaled. "That… looks unbelievable."
Walter grinned. "People are going to lose their minds."
Lucas didn't say anything for a moment.
He just looked at the screen again.
The render had become reality.
The quiet dream from years ago was about to have a line stretching across the plaza.
An hour later, the trailer went online.
By evening, it had already passed 1.5 million views.
Theme park forums exploded with speculation.
People tried to guess what kind of ride system it used, what the story meant, what secrets were hidden inside the temple.
> "This looks like something from Disney or Universal. How is this in Germany?"
"Elysion Park again? They just opened that coaster two years ago."
"No way this is real. That lighting can't be in a regional park."
The rain outside had turned to a light drizzle, coating the windows in silver streaks. Inside, the meeting room above the park's entrance was filled with the faint hum of heaters and the smell of strong coffee.
Emma sat cross-legged on the corner of the table, laptop open, eyes flicking between tabs. "RTL is locked in. WDR confirmed too. We're waiting on VTM's final reply."
Lucas leaned against the window frame, hands in his pockets, looking out over the empty plaza. "How many now?"
"Eighty-seven confirmed," she said. "A few still pending. Oh—Theme Park Worldwide just emailed back."
He turned. "Already?"
"Yeah." Her tone lifted slightly. "Shaun and Charlotte are flying in from England just for this. Not part of a tour, not another park stop. They're coming only for The Lost Realm."
Lucas blinked, a quiet smile breaking through. "They're serious, then."
"Apparently, yes. They said they've heard rumors about what we built here, and they don't want to miss it."
He nodded slowly, still looking out at the plaza. "Good. Let's make sure they see what we can really do."
Emma smiled and kept typing. "They'll film the whole thing themselves, no crew, no extras. Just those two and their cameras. It'll feel honest. Personal."
"That's what I want," Lucas said. "People seeing it through passion, not production."
The printer began to hum again, pushing out the final stack of invitations. The golden envelopes reflected the soft light of the office, each embossed with The Lost Realm – Media Preview Event, 25 February 2019.
Emma handed one over to Lucas. "That's the last batch. You sure you want to handle all the speeches yourself?"
He turned the envelope in his hands, feeling the weight of it. "Yeah. This isn't just an opening. It's proof that we can stand with anyone."
She gave a small grin. "You already do."
The clock ticked quietly as they packed the envelopes into boxes for delivery. Outside, the park slept under the cold German sky, unaware that in just a few weeks, it would host the biggest day in its history.
It started small.
A single tweet.
> Theme Park Worldwide (@ThemeParkWW)
✈️ Heading to Germany soon for something big.
"The Lost Realm" – Media Preview at Elysion Park.
We've heard the whispers. Now we'll see it for ourselves.
Within minutes, the replies stacked up.
> Wait—Elysion Park? The one with Serpent's Run?
How the hell did they pull off another ride already?
Didn't think that park was this serious.
Emma scrolled through the comments, half-smiling. "They're waking up."
Lucas sat beside her, coffee in hand. "Took them long enough."
Her phone buzzed again.
New notification.
> Xtremerides (@XtremeridesNL)
Something massive coming soon… 👀
Invitation accepted. See you in Germany.
A short clip followed. Just the golden envelope sliding open, logo glinting in the light.
No text. No voice.
It exploded. Thousands of likes.
> What is that?!
Elysion Park again??
Bro, that looks like Efteling-level stuff.
And then another post popped up.
> DavincstyleGames (@DavincstyleGames)
Got invited to something very special next month.
Not allowed to say much yet, but it's… wow.
Emma leaned back in her chair, grinning. "They're doing our work for us."
Lucas nodded slowly. "Exactly how it should be."
Across the screen, more names appeared.
Local papers. Loopings. Pretparkfans. RTL Nieuws teasing a TV segment.
Everywhere, the same question repeated.
> What is The Lost Realm?
Lucas watched it all spread, line by line, hashtag by hashtag.
His park. His dream.
And in just three weeks, the whole world would finally step inside.
He closed the laptop.
"Now we finish it."