Chapter 7: Places to be

Yusciel landed on her feet with a loud thud that echoed through the empty space. She took a deep breath of fresh air, filling her lungs with the cold embrace of the morning rain. The bright sunlight slowly filtered through the closing ceiling gates, made of metal with windows of tinted glass creating a unique pattern of ray lighting. The brief moment of fresh air abruptly ended as the ceiling gates sealed tightly, enveloping her in a gust of sickly air conditioning.

Soon began, the gentle patter of raindrops against the glass formed flowing streaks of water that disappeared from view. Yusciel’s ears longed to hear the ambience sounding of the rain, yet the ceiling loomed too high, stifling any noise except for the incessant hum of the air conditioning, occasional metallic clunks, high reverbing vocals from the speakers, and distant screeches of air release. Surprisingly, this cacophony formed a strange but comforting ambience that soothed her ears and calmed her heart. The bright sunlight beamed brightly, its rays piercing through the raindrops, creating a mesmerizing view within the hanger. With each passing moment, the sunlight dimmed, ceiling the surroundings in solemn and gray.

‘How peaceful,’ Yusciel thought, her eyes softening as they fixed above. ‘I fully expected ‘them’ to appear.’ Yusciel remarked until a loud, repetitive clapping noise grabbed her attention immediately.

Yusciel followed the dry, clapping sound and turned her head to find Kaine behind a pushcart, his elbows resting on the metal handle with his hands clasped together and a mischievous wide grin playing on his lips. “What are you spacing out for, Yusciel?” he called out.

“Spacing out…” Yusciel muttered, her eyes scanning the area where the group had been standing. Next to Kaine, Lexine was facing the Kleinboote ship, her hands raised as she effortlessly directed several luggages from the open external compartment onto Kaine’s cart. Further ahead at the ship’s nose, Joseph and the pilot engaged in deep conversation, with Yusciel barely catching snippets of their incomprehensible whispers as the pilot pointed at something on a paper document.

She blinked slowly, taking in the scene before answering loudly and approaching the group. “Oh! Oh, no. Nothing. I was just thinking about the weather. It’s cold and cozy, but do you think a storm could be on its way?”

“The news said it was an ordinaire storm…” Joseph answered aloud as if he had heard her. As Joseph walked towards the group, leaving the pilot behind scratching his head, he continued nonchalantly. “It will pass from the southeast of the Tariqan islands to the eastern Kelvostiv City isle. If it moves further west towards our location, then you can start worrying.”

Yusciel nodded, coming to a stop in front of Kaine’s metal pushcart. “Are we still heading to the Serenadian Isle?” She asked, her gaze shifting between the two lovebirds with an odd gaze.

“Yes,” Joseph affirmed. “Our original plan was to go to Serenadian Isle before you were injured, and we still plan to go once everything has settled.”

Yusciel nodded once more, then turned her focus to Lexine’s back, carefully observing her from head to toe. However, with the black robe that covered her entire body, there was hardly anything that could be discerned. She seemed unfazed, appearing as though nothing had happened. With the final piece of luggage in place, Lexine turned around, meeting Yusciel’s inquisitive gaze with a subtle smile.

Beside her, Kaine leaned forward with his hands resting on the filled pushcart, one foot casually placed on a lifted beam, showing no signs of reaction.

‘Was it just my imagination?’ Yusciel wondered before noticing Joseph walking behind her, passing the group and continuing. Kaine soon followed, navigating the pushcart around Yusciel, while Lexine approached her with a robe in hand, asking, “Would you like me to change your appearance or wear this robe?”

“Are we really that well-known here? I feel like I can get away without having to do all that, especially in places like this.” Yusciel responded, her lips forming a wry smile.

“You can’t!” Lexine countered firmly. “Don’t underestimate it. As secluded as the town may seem from above, they have access to broadcast, television shows, and movies—many had even recognized Joseph, and it’s safe to say, even you.”

Yusciel let out incomprehensible words, resisting, “Erughha, but unlike Joseph, I don’t have a lot stage roles, meaning less frequent screen time.”

“Even still!” Lexine urged, extending her hand with the robe towards Yusciel.

Reluctantly, Yusciel accepted, “I’ll take the robe.”

Yusciel slipped her arms into the sleeves and pulled a hoodie over head before Lexine grabbed her hands and hurriedly led her to the corner where the elevator awaited with its doors open. As they entered, the two men in the group were already inside, and they passed by Joseph who was standing by the buttons. Despite the size of the pushcart, the elevator felt spacious enough for the ladies to position themselves beside it. Once everyone was inside, Joseph pressed a button, prompting the doors to close and the elevator to start moving.

A somber peace filled the room as Joseph gazed into the empty space, and Lexine appeared to be occupied with her terminal. Suddenly, a crackling ping from the speakers broke the quiet, followed by a crackling male voice.

“Sorry for the wait, there was a slight disturbance in the—”

“Hey! Hey! Hey!”

A familiar voice, accompanied by static, echoed through the speakers, causing Yusciel to raise her head and turn towards the corner of the elevator. She saw the metal walls, reflecting blurry images of the group, with the strong, beaming light from the ceiling obscuring most of the image. Another click sounded from the speaker, followed by the female voice continuing, “Yuel, can you hear me?”

“Eh?”

Dumbfounded, Yusciel let out a suppressed gasp of surprise, her eyes widening as her black irises trembled. She recognized the voice all too well, but confusion clouded her mind as she struggled to comprehend the situation. ‘Nemneseia? But how?’

Suddenly, feeling a tap on her side, Yusciel turned towards it in a swift, almost frantic movement, her breathing becoming ragged as she tried to process her surroundings. There, she found Lexine nudging her with concern. Lexine opened her mouth to speak, “You seem pale, are you alright?”

“Lexine?”

“Yeah?” She responded, tilting her head in confusion. With a quick press of her thumb on the wrist terminal, she closed the holographic display and took Yuscie’s cold, thin hands in her own, feeling the chill against her warmth. “Aren’t you cold?” Lexine asked, her lips pursed.

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“The voice—” Yusciel muttered under her breath, head down and slightly unfocused on their clasped hands.

Lexine strained to hear and asked, , “The voice?”

“Oh, no,” Yusciel quickly responded, raising her head to meet Lexine’s gaze, “It’s nothing,” she reassured before averting away.

“You’re definitely quite chilly.”

“No, I’m just a bit tired. I’ll feel better with some rest.”

“Yusciel,” Joseph called out to her, “Once we reach Serenadian, you will go to the hospital again to check your condition. I have heard this island’s hospital does not offer the best compared to others—only for mental cognition.”

“Mental cognition? What do you mean by that exactly?” Yusciel inquired.

“Many doctors back in Wanderland ship said your condition is ‘healthy’. But you never woke up and slipped into a coma… They said it was about your brain or your conscience protecting yourself from getting hurt further. So, many suggested coming to Ortis—to their hospital called Seinteris, where they excel at bringing people out of deep coma,” Joseph explained, turning his head.

“So, is it something related to mind control?” Yusciel’s brow furrowed slightly.

“That… I’m not so sure about it. We don’t know what methods they used or what powers they possess.” Joseph clarified. “What was it like, Kaine?

“Well, there was this one person that played a cello for some reason,” Kaine replied, gesturing along with his fingers as he continued, “About three tracks—one was full of malice and hatred, the second, um, what was it again, Lexine?”

“The second one is the, Sorrow and regretting sounds, with the third becoming a mix of the first and the second track.” Lexine added.

‘A cello? A musical instrument was used to wake me up? Out of all things?’ Yusciel was dumbfounded and couldn’t help but tilt her head. ‘This world—humanoids’ magic will never cease to amaze me.’

Joseph continued, “Do you remember anything when you woke up?”

She tried to recall, her gaze falling to the luggage, deep in thought but could only manage to answer, “Sorry, I didn’t.”

Yusciel continued to think to herself, remembering when Nemneseia’s ghostly figure had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and with just a single note from the cello, she vanished. ‘Now I am slightly regretting not following what I wanted—I even followed the words of the dead.’

“That’s fine,” Joseph replied.

“Hey, their technique might have been odd, but at least it worked!” Lexine chimed in.

“True… If it hadn’t, Brother would have been furious,” Kaine added with a scoff.

Feeling a needle poking in her heart, Yusciel quietly mumbled, “Sorry…”

To that, Kaine immediately replied, “No, no, no. I’m not blaming you or anything. Heck, I’m not Joseph, so.”

“Kaine…” Joseph quietly muttered under his breath.

Kaine shrugged, “I mean, look, the assailant got away—nobody has a clue who it was, and we have been trying to find them for days now. Yet, no luck. so it’s not that simple. If it was, then the brother would have already caught them by now. Look, there’s no need to blame Yusciel for all of this. If anything, shouldn’t we be happy that aside from her, an immortal, no one got harmed? Anyone in her shoes would have been dead by now. By harming one of the foundry members, especially an important one, it would make everyone be more alert. Everyone rejoices!”

Joseph’s expression scrunched, “Your not wr—”

“I am not wrong—yes… There was never in time that I was in the wrong, Joseph.” Kaine smugged.

Yusciel’s attention drifted as the conversation around her faded into the background before refocusing on the speaker in the corner. ‘Was it all just my imagination?’ she pondered, the speaker’s words initially muffled in her ears, but gradually, becoming clearer as reality snapped back into focus—it wasn’t Nemneseia’s voice, but that of another man.

The immediate distraction came when the elevator door opened with a clear ping, filling the space with bustling sounds of steps and voices. The group moved into the hall, finding themselves greeted by the sight of numerous people dressed lavishly and carrying bags, moving about the hallways.

On one side of the wall, a tinted glass pane offered a view of the town’s square outside, displaying colored patterned bricks with thin rivulets of water running through the cracks. Further in the distance, buildings, both homes and public structures, were partially covered in greenery with nature reclaiming the surfaces. A fountain with springing blue water at its center in the garden caught Yusciel’s attention before Lexine continued pulling her down the corridor.

As heavy rain continued to fall, the streets were sparsely populated compared to the previous sights—veiled in darkness as the rain intensified and the lights from the buildings brightened the surroundings. Yusciel couldn’t help but notice the absence of mobile vehicles, leading her to think, “What an odd town.” Her gaze then shifted to the corner of the hall.

As Yusciel was still being dragged by Lexine, Joseph, leading the group, slowed down to a halt and turned to the ground, asking, “So, what’s the plan? Do you want to stay here until the rain stops, or do you want to head to the Wanderland Ship?”

Kaine, his body slouched against the handle of the pushcart, responded, “I’d rather go back now…”

“Same here. But before we go to the Cruisers, can I buy some food from the stalls?” Lexine said, turning her head towards the halls as if searching for something. “Oh, wait, are we taking the cruiser, or is someone picking us up?” She turned back to Joseph for confirmation.

“Noel—I asked Noel earlier to pick us up, he should arrive later at noon,” Joseph answered.

Upon hearing this, Lexine smiled and whispered, “Great. Just enough time to get Shamsuros.”

“Yusciel, what about you?” Joseph said, his gaze pointing at her.

“Um, yeah-. I want to go back too.” She meekly replied.

Joseph nodded then turned on his heel, saying, “Alright.” before continuing.

The group continued down the corridor and entered a common area filled with numerous chairs, some occupied by people and luggage. The room was illuminated by bright lights and holographic displays showcasing schedules of airships arriving and departing.

The group did not stop and walked further down the long corridor ahead, eventually settling in a section of chairs with a view of the endless gray skies beyond. Yusciel focused on reading messages as the signal returned, shifting from restricted to 3S. She waited quietly until Lexine nudged her out of her reverie.

Noticing Lexine munching on a spoonful of food, Yusciel asked, “What is it?”

To that, Lexine answered, pointing above with her spoon, “Isn’t this one of the songs you used to play frequently?”

Yusciel frowned, feeling confused by Lexine’s words, but followed to where she pointed—just then, the speakers announced, “Playing today is Zettastic—nobody cares!”

The slow, melodic tune began to play with an electric guitar leading at front, followed by a soothing voice. Yusciel’s eyes widened in surprise as she exclaimed, “You’re right!”

She then placed her hand down, causing the holographic display to fade away. Vibing along to the music, she gazed out the window at the small droplets of rain, and took part of Lexine’s snacks by taking a spare spoon settled in the cup.

“—very odd… Wasn't this place added to the Eldergran territory last year?” Yusciel muttered.

“Yeah?” Lexine answered. “After the United states of Eldergran won the war several years back. They titled this as the Island of hollow, Ortis Isle.”

“That makes sense,” Yusciel nodded.

As a list of songs played, Joseph’s wrist terminal vibrated, alarming him as he stood from his chair and announced, “It’s here.”

Prompting the group to stand, they walked to gates and proceeded to the long corridors with metal walls. The docking bridge was large, only populated by a handful of military personnel and employees in uniforms going about their work, filling the space with a sense of emptiness. They paid no mind as the the group continued until they reached a closed gate marked with the number 12 on an active holographic display

Soon, with a sputtering sound, the gate opened to reveal another bridge leading inside the ship. On the other side stood several faces of people.