< Entering the City of Hearts (H3) for the first time >

< Welcome to the City of Hearts (H3) >

Black brickwork roads and a world tinted in a slight red defined the City of Hearts as their train finally came to an abrupt stop. The whiplash caused their hairs and apparel to fling themselves momentarily, as did the few passengers who did not heed the warnings of the Train Conductor.

So many different faces eventually unbuckled themselves from their snug sofa-like seats and disembarked onto a busy station. Frost and her companions left their compartment last, bidding the onboard healer farewell as she tended to the injured few.

When they stepped out into the reddish glow of the station, they were stunned by the artistic beauty that the train station invoked. A giant, red-stained glass ceiling refracted the sun’s rays into a beautiful red spotlight that painted everything in a gentle red.

The train platforms were numbered with the Sectors the railway led. There were roughly 5 local railways in total, and another 5 express railways that were built along the second story above. It all reminded Frost of a modernized mag-lift railway except everything was created in a grand and needlessly decorative manner.

Frost imagined herself submerged inside of a living coral reef with all the colors, which was ironic considering the City of Hearts had the highest population of Aquatids in all the Nex Megalopolis.

“Did we just enter another world all of a sudden?” Frost quietly whispered to herself, awed by the sheer diversity of Aquatid species.

They ranged from the giant, tentacle-legged Scylia to people with squid-like hair that dangled down to their waists, and giant clams that housed ill-dressed inhabitants who simply lazily slept or watched people get on with their lives.

“No humans. I guess I’m the only one, huh.” She added, finding herself being stared at by a number of people, as if fascinated to see a human amongst them.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing. Heh. Good riddance. You’ll find a lot of Insectids and Aquatids here. Humans will probably be in the rural side of the city Sectors. H3 houses the majority of Aquatids as well.” Cer explained as they wove through the bustling crowds, heading towards a heart-shaped exit that led into what appeared to be a major street.

“I’m guessing it’s because Aquatids need water to survive.” Frost replied as they crossed a small indoor canal where were legless Aquatids swam in two different lanes, treating it like a highway. “These probably run throughout the entire city Sectors, huh.”

Jury could not hide her awe as her eyes rambunctiously jumped from place to place, her mouth agape at the sheer beauty of their surroundings. Ignis, despite her stern glare, fidgeted as she watched a small parade of clownfish-esque children march along the edges of the railway.

They carried stop signs far too large for a child their size, and the lead held a whistle in their mouth to scream at anyone that dared to get too close to the edge. Frost always found it weird how groups of fish were called ‘schools’ back on Earth.

But here? The term was literal.

“My pun has been stolen.” Nav complained as Frost described the world to her mental friend, eventually reaching the main roads which were far narrower than the City of Diamonds.

Furthermore, rather than the suits that were seen commonly throughout its Sectors, a lot of maid outfits were worn here. Normally, Frost would have found it weird to be worn in public, but because so many did, she ended up putting the thought to rest.

Their norm was her abnormality, and vice versa. As someone not from this world she couldn’t outright call it weird. When she asked why they wore maid outfits, Cer, the ex-maid, explained.

“I was waiting for you ask! Aquatids have a huuuuuge culture around master and servants. It’s playful here, but head over to into the ocean and you’ll end up as their servant. In a pretty horrible way as well. Don’t let that façade fool you. If humans didn’t get to the Demi-humans, then the Aquatids would’ve.” Cer spoke with bared fangs.

“Humans were basically the Demi-humans of Grandis in Aquatid settlements. Don’t know how humans managed to claim the top spot in Grandis after all their wars, but I can’t say I would’ve like being drowned and stuffed with eggs.” Ber shrugged. “Water is such a disadvantage for anything that can’t swim. You should see Cer in water! She can’t paddle for the life of her!”

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“Oh.” Frost snapped her fingers. “So that’s why she hates taking baths!”

“Are you a genius?” Ber uttered in complete shock.

“Hey! What was that!? You try working for as long as we do! Our last mission was 1,000 unpaid hours trying to get rid of a cube that kept coming in and out of existence!” Cer snapped.

“Then how do you explain Res and Ber’s cleanliness?” Jury questioned.

“The curse of being the eldest. Not much I can do when I’m born a winner. Blood. Sweat. And a lot more sweat.” Cer smugly folded her arms, pointing her nose into the air as she looked up at Frost. “Huh? What’s with that look? That’s not the usual ‘I’m gonna eat you now’ look.”

“Maybe Frost doesn’t like eating sweaty things?” Ber wondered.

“Is that true!?” Cer exploded in shock, sniffing at herself. “I’m not… that sweaty…”

“Why the fuck are you shocked by that!?” Res suddenly snapped, unable to handle their antics any longer.

Afterwards, as they followed the main path and signages that pointed them into the direction of the rural, wildlife ridden lands, Res further explained that before the humans of Grandis became violent, they had to suffer their own tribulations against the Aquatids, Insectids, Anids and other monstrosities from the neighboring Gnawer and Anid Regions, as well as the oceans surrounding it.

Frost was reminded by the vitriol the villagers from the Village of Virt held towards the other races. To her surprise, their hatred was deeply rooted by the persecutions they themselves faced by those invading races.

Still, that didn’t dismiss them from what they did to the other races, and from how they treated the healers. But at least the picture was clearer now, and it was not as black and white as it used to be.

“15 slimes… was it?” Jury pondered on the assignment Carpalis entrusted them with.

Indeed. Carpalis gave them an easy quest for the sake of letting them have a moment of respite before getting into their main mission. She was awfully aware of their condition, and like a mother, she treated them like her sickly children.

Carpalis was too kind for her own good. Plus, this assignment would allow Frost to put her newfound skills to the test. But there was a bit of a problem.

“Slimes. Pfffft. C’mon. We just came back from a Woe of the Fallen Star. We practically soloed it with our group.” Cer said as they passed along the shores of an inland harbor.

“And they called us Jesters! We’ll make ‘em swallow their words!” Ber raised a fist.

“Not until we return to the Nexus.” Res sighed, smiling a little at the prospect of graduating from their ridiculous label. “A little less than 2 months left. Then we’ll be back up there.”

“Do you miss it?” Jury asked her.

“A lot. It’s nice being ignorant to the world underneath sometimes. That’s what the old me used to think. But now I think we can start making changes with both of your help.” She suddenly slowed down, slotting herself between both Jury and Frost.

Ignis tightly gripped Frost’s hand in response, as if jealous. Res then glanced up at Frost and beamed with an adorable smile.

“I’m glad we had the opportunity to rescue you. Well… sort of a rescue. Aha… I sometimes wonder if Marionette and Galia knew that we’d be able to succeed, or if we were just leftovers.” Res’ ears flattened, her head begging to be pat.

And so, she received a double dose from both Jury and Frost.

“If they can read fate, then maybe they saw far enough to realize that you were the perfect fit.” Jury hummed, pampering her as Ignis then planted Frost’s free hand onto her head, pouting cutely.

“Oh don’t mind me. I just want what Sis is having.” Ber cheekily chimed in, bunching up with Res as Cer then followed suit, quacking becoming a bundle of fluff.

“I deserve some too, right? For my good work? I know you thanked everyone already back then, but do you think words are good enough for us?” Cer grinned.

Ignis then joined in, and it became a bouquet of fluffiness.

“Me too…” Ignis whispered with her sweet voice.

As they travelled along the shorelines of the massive harbor, they were then greeted with unforgettable sceneries.

Giant, multi-eyed whales were parked by docks which were decorated in beautiful, chiseled stone and pieces of rock that appeared like heart-shaped corals. They were so massive that they needed to physically move their heads to see from the tail end to their hidden heads.

They were dyed in a bluish color that mimicked the inland sea, which stretched from H3 all the way to the adjacent H5 many hundreds of kilometers across. Once again, Frost wondered just how massive the world was since the horizon stretched far further than Earth’s.

This world was at least several times larger than Earth.

Jets of water burst from multiple pores long their backs, creating a massive rainbow that marked their impending departure.

They were boarded by hundreds without any signs of safety, and with a high-pitched squeal, the whales travelled across the harbor in the direction of the more open-ended lands up north. Lands of green and forests sprawled further ahead, and that was Frost’s destination.

“You know what they say, never get into a body of water with a whale.” Cer suddenly said, half tempted to shock the water like it was her mortal enemy.

“If you’re weak enough those high-pitched sounds can tear you apart. Can’t say that’s a problem for a Moon.” Ber gloated at their strength.

“Their sonar shreds people?” Frost questioned.

“Sonar? The hell is that? You mean echolocation?” Cer wondered, unfamiliar with the term.

“Same thing.” Frost said. “I knew submarines were capable of ripping people apart with their active sonars, but whales?”

“Depends on how loud it is. Dunno why, but water seems to amplify things like sound. Did you know explosions work better under water!? How crazy is that!? And you’re telling me that I’m insane for being afraid of water!” Cer blurted out.

“Physics at work. Water’s a thicker medium, so pressure loses less power the longer it travels compared to air.” Jury explained, familiar with this much to Frost’s surprise. “But it’s just a bath?”

“Huh!? Oh yeah, let me just tell the enemy to wait for me to finish taking a bath. Listen. The bath is a battlefield. Where there’s water, there’s danger.” Cer stubbornly defended her stance, causing Res to sigh one last time as she mentally aged a few years ahead.

“You’re so embarrassing.” Res muttered in defeat.

They wondered if boarding onto one of the whales would be ideal, but that was quickly thwarted when an additional fuzzy being entered the fray.

“Brrr!” Snap ‘purred’ with its mechanical windings.

“Right… Sorry. Mhm. We’ll rely on you then.” Frost had the bizarre ability to decipher Snap’s ‘words’, which not even the Blessed could comprehend.

Snap basically said:

“I can get you there much faster! So please don’t ride on anything but me!”

How could she refuse her adorable friend?