As Shiria kept exploring the cruise, she encountered another interesting area. The casino. Despite her limited memories, she knew what the concept of gambling was and she was immediately drawn into the big room full of slots, blackjack tables, and roulette wheels. The sounds, the colors, and the smell – Shiria felt oddly familiar with them. Maybe she had been in a casino before.
Soon, she found the only two girls having the attraction all to themselves, one was sitting at a blackjack table, while the other was standing right behind her.
“Oh! Look at who’s awake!” The woman standing said with a bright smile. The girl sitting immediately turned around and almost knocked over her chips, jumping off the stool.
image [https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/b98g9us3nw5zf637ywblc/artist_missile_228-amazing-quality-very-aesthetic-absurdres-dark-background-s-2069900728.png?rlkey=q0hkv14xe7hjrt7seaeu7ihng&st=30oqn7l3&raw=1]
A very energetic girl with sharp teeth. She had her black hair tied in a ponytail...it had a slight yellow shade to its tip. Her orange eyes fired up as soon as she saw Shiria.
“Miss amnesiac girl! How do you feel? Is everything in order? I am so sorry, I was missing during breakfast this morning, I couldn’t help you!” She exclaimed, grasping Shiria’s shoulder.
“A-Ah! D-Don’t worry! I’m fine!” Shiria yelped.
“My name is Lan’en,” she ignored Shiria’s words, “I am part of the pale knight’s oath! And while I am on vacation right now...it is my duty to protect everyone!”
“I don’t...have my memories back yet but, I’m okay physically!” Shiria said. “Don’t worry!”
image [https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/iiwrxpzx32kdh5rx4qvq4/artist_missile_228-amazing-quality-very-aesthetic-absurdres-dark-background-s-1318081822.png?rlkey=ikrrd29dijbooioa8gckrnpfv&st=deh0rcdc&raw=1]
“Oh? You don’t?”
The other woman, a bit older looking, pushed Lan’en away and stepped in front of Shiria, holding her chin with one hand, while her other arm rested under her chest.
She had fox ears and a huge, fluffy tail. Her hair was brown. Her smile was...alluring. Same thing for her brown, deep eyes. She moved her tail back and forth as she stared at Shiria with an intrigued expression. She wore a particular dress, different than others. It was simple, yet graceful.
“Yes...I don’t,” Shiria sighed.
“That is quite unfortunate!” The fox woman placed her hand on Shiria’s shoulder, “I am sorry. I hope you reclaim your memories soon. My name is Tsukasa. I come from the waning sun's empire."
“Uhm...I also do not remember anything about the universe or...galaxy or whatever. Alicia just explained to me what vocations are.”
“Oh really? That is...quite surprising. You don’t even remember your own vocation?” Tsukasa looked at Shiria in disbelief.
“That is outrageous!!!” Lan’en exclaimed, holding Shiria’s shoulder and shaking her whole body. “How can you forget such a thing?! Athenis would never, EVER forgive me if I forgot her divine blessing!!!”
“Oh...so your vocation is the same as Alicia’s,” Shiria commented.
“Hehe, if you’re interested, my guidance is Haetestia. The goddess of goodwill, trust, and truthfulness.” Tsukasa chimed in.
“Oh...okay!” Shiria backed off and looked around. “So...what are you doing here? I mean...I know what you’re doing. I just wonder if you have to spend your real money.”
“Of course you do have to, silly!” Tsukasa giggled, “Well, we were trying to make Lan’en win some games of blackjack. She hasn’t been very lucky, however. Do you want to try in her place~?”
The fox tried to lure Shiria in, but she really, really wanted to seek Kaeron.
“Maybe another time, okay?” She replied, shaking her head. “Besides, I have no money!”
“Hm, okay then! Have a good morning! See you at lunch.” Tsukasa smiled at her, turning back towards Lan’en. “Now then, shall we give it one more try?”
“I don’t know Miss Tsukasa…I don’t want to waste the oath’s funds!”
“Come on...I can feel it! The next one is the big win…”
Shiria left the two, feeling a bit of unease coming from Tsukasa’s voice despite her friendliness.
----------------------------------------
After searching around for some more time, Shiria ended up in a...theater.
There, she saw a woman, standing right in the middle of the stage. She immediately noticed Shiria and smiled at her warmly.
“Ah!” The woman smiled at her, lending her hand.
“Come up here! Are you feeling better now?”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Shiria, somehow, felt tears running down her cheeks. She immediately grabbed her hand and got up on the stage with her.
“Hey! Why are you crying?!” The woman immediately got alarmed. “Are you okay sweetheart?”
“I...I don’t know,” Shiria shook her head. “Who are you? You look...familiar. Extremely.”
image [https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/w3nhemb8ge8n69veineiq/artist_missile_228-amazing-quality-very-aesthetic-absurdres-dark-background-s-3666193668.png?rlkey=jox13k0dk36r30zj74p8uahgo&st=owrqeylz&raw=1]
A golden-haired woman with magenta eyes. She wore a very fancy dress, which looked like a costume. A gentle, genuine smile on her face made her look radiant.
“I am...Servalia. I think your memories aren’t back yet, right?”
“No. They are not...”
“Well. I’m a...relatively famous singer around the galaxy. You probably know me, deep inside here!” She smiled happily, pushing her finger against Shiria’s chest. “And...judging by those cute tears...I guess you really, really like me, huh?”
“I-I guess so…” Shiria laughed, embarrassed, “nice to meet you again, Servalia.”
“Hah…such a big theater, and only eleven guests. This place is so sad. They should open it to the public, am I wrong?”
“Yes...it looks very sad and lonely,” Shiria agreed. “at least it’s not completely empty.”
“Yes!” Servalia nodded. “I like your optimism already! I was planning to make everyone gather here one of these next nights...and maybe I can play some songs. Would you like it?”
“Oh! For sure! Yeah!” Shiria nodded happily, “I’d love to hear one of your songs again. Maybe it will bring back some memories.”
“Oh, I sure hope so! Kaeron told me Chronos said it doesn’t have the slightest idea of why you lost them, right? It could have happened right after you got on the ship, maybe because of something unrelated…”
“Ah, did you see Kaeron?” She asked her immediately. “I wanna thank her for helping me out.”
“Yeah, I did!” Servalia chimed happily. “Just ten minutes ago, as I was heading here. I think she went to her room, she has mostly been there all the time during these two days.”
“Oh, do you know which is her room?”
“Just ask Chronos. It will know.”
“Alright then, thank you Servalia. We’ll talk at lunch!”
“Sure thing!”
----------------------------------------
Shiria reached the main lobby after getting lost a few times. There, she saw the two last guests of the Elysium she had to meet yet.
image [https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/do3p8pqyxu2raogj1trkm/artist_missile_228-amazing-quality-very-aesthetic-absurdres-dark-background-s-3590746912.png?rlkey=acex4gb34388ddxm54m48omj1&st=8bn32qud&raw=1]
A white-haired maiden. She was short, dressed in a beautiful and intricate black dress. She had long, white hair, decorated by wonderful and elegant headwear. She was very short, almost the height of a little girl.
She turned around as soon as Shiria tried to approach her, backing off towards the big glass panel of the lobby.
“Hi! I am...the amnesiac girl. Shiria is my temporary name.” Shiria says with a friendly smile.
The girl scanned her with her eyes, her expression expressing doubt.
“Hm, what a powerful name. Shiria.”
“What do you mean?”
“The stars align, and they tell me it is a name with a great burden, a great pain.”
Shiria furrowed her brows. Just what was this girl talking about?
“What is yours?” She asked, changing the subject.
“I am Noir. Follower of Nares.” She said.
“Oh...what is Nares god of?”
“Hm, your memory loss is quite strong.” The girl Noir stated, looking back outside, into the dark void. “Nares...is the god of chaos, war, destruction. I was born under his star...and I shall bring what he craves.”
“Sounds...very promising,” Shiria sighs and heads towards the dorms.
image [https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/scz9w4xvcsm8bbl1ujjp9/youmu_konpaku-artist_missile_228-amazing-quality-very-aesthetic-absurdres-s-2898513290.png?rlkey=6cbsau15s88n4myk2o2ealra7&st=gnarlzhu&raw=1]
“She won’t deal you any harm, not under my watch at least.”
The second girl finally spoke up. A silver-haired beauty with short hair and a very modern attire. A serious expression full of zeal and determination made her green eyes light up.
“Hi. Who are you?” Shiria asked her.
“I am Youma. I’m a hunter following the vocation of Artelan. Artelan is the god of hunting, protection, and heroism. I travel around planets, aiding those in need of my help.”
“Wow, that is very noble.” Shiria nodded happily.
“If there is any trouble, please do not hesitate to call for my help,” she stated, closing her eyes and bowing in a determined fashion.
“Well, it was nice to meet you, Youma! Noir, please do not destroy the cruise.”
And so, she finally reached the long corridor where everything started.
“Chronos!” She tried to call the AI…
But then, she realized she didn’t have the waistband with her. She removed it out of annoyance when she first activated it.
“Oh no...how will I find Kaeron now? I don’t even remember my own room!”
She went back to the main lobby but halted as soon as she saw two people near the fountain talking. Noir wasn’t there anymore. They were Azrael and Lilin.
Shiria hid behind the corridor’s corner, listening over their conversation.
“What do you think of the girl?” Azrael asked Lilin.
“She’s...interesting,” Lilin replied after a pause, her voice measured. “There’s something off about her. It’s not just the memory loss. She doesn’t belong here at all. She doesn’t look special in any way.”
Azrael nodded thoughtfully, her eyes flickering with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. “I felt it too. There’s a certain innocence about her, but it’s mixed with something else. Something...hidden.”
“Maybe she doesn’t even realize it herself. Ah-hahaha!”
“Or maybe she does, and something is about to ruin our beautiful holiday here at the Elysium.”
“Oh yeah? I’m always all-in for stuff that spices things up.” Lilin giggles. “We’ll see!”
They soon left the lobby, heading towards the corridor that led to the dining hall.
“Don’t worry about them, they’re just gossiping.”
“A-Aaah!!!”
Shiria yelped, turning around and backing off, almost tripping backwards.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Kaeron offered her hand, but Shiria simply regained composure by herself, smiling at Kaeron. “It’s okay Kaeron. Don’t worry.”
“How are you feeling?” She asked, walking closer to Shiria, analyzing her whole body. A calm, emotionless tone – not an evil one, though. “Any other dizziness?”
“No. I’m fine,” Shiria shook her head, “I was searching for you.”
“Hm? Why?”
“I wanted to thank you. You helped me two times. First...you calmed me down when I was freaking out. Second, you brought me to the medical bay.”
“Ah...well, it was nothing special,” Kaeron replied, looking outside, “I just felt bad seeing you so confused and scared.”
“Still, thank you!” Shiria repeated with a happy smile, patting her woman’s back.
“No problem.”
The two remained in silence for a while, then, Kaeron spoke once more: “Did you explore the cruise?”
“Almost completely, yes. There are very interesting things around. I also talked with everyone aboard. They’re kind of...nice but also weird. Especially Noir.”
“Yeah. That’s why I usually stay alone. I don’t like company that much.”
Shiria could tell Kaeron wasn’t the social type.
“What’s your vocation?”
Kaeron stayed silent for a couple of seconds. Then, she turned over Shiria and replied, “Artelan.”
“Oh! So you’re a hunter like Youma? Do you help people too?”
“Yes. That is correct,” Kaeron nodded.
“That’s why you’re so nice! Hehe…” Shiria chuckled, “I think Artelan is my favorite god so far!"
“Well, maybe it’s your vocation,” Kaeron sighs, looking at her waistband's clock, “we should go have lunch now, it’s almost 12 PM.”
“Oh, yeah, let’s go then.”
The two walk together as they go, chatting about the cruise.
And so, Shiria started to blend in immediately, almost forgetting about her amnesia.
Was this peace going to last, though?