Having witnessed the judgment test executed for the very first time, the observers were now questioning how to proceed further with the nameless intruder. Especially since Ravendell now mentioned to take some responsibility for the situation, he was now left with the task to further plan his next step. "I'm not sure yet. Please give me some time to consider a proposal you all can agree to," is what he eventually said to them before he slowly retreated to his office.
He could finally start thinking about the issue at hand without the disturbance from the Observers now. Yona no-name...she doesn't seem dangerous at all but her entrance speaks a different story, he thought. The West-Mainer square is at least three kilometers away from the borders, yet that's when she got detected by our ID system. Our city defense barrier deflects Fes from coming in, so the possibility of entering from the outside was out of the question unless she could deactivate my shield type while ignoring the ID system too.
Thinking about the ID system sparked another thought. The system detects any unknown living entity. Yona No-name was only detected at the West-Mainer square because...that's when she appeared or existed? Could she be from another world? Her clothes were indeed strange and from an unknown brand.
Well, anyways how she appeared here wasn't currently his biggest concern. The biggest issue now is that Ravendell believed her, oddly enough, while the others didn't. The mystery around her is reason enough for doubt and distrust for the Observers. "What she really needs is..."
"Ayuki....Ayuki...wake up. It's your birthday today. Come on, wake up already."
"Yes, dad..."
"Dad? I'm not your father."
Opening her eyes now, she saw Hyu Zefrick sitting on a chair beside her with a book in his hands. With a quick glance, she realized she was lying in a bed in an unfamiliar room. "W-What happened?"
"Haha, I'm your father apparently. Were you having a nice dream?"
"Dream...ah that's right! I remember my name now!"
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, Ayuki— Ayuki Kazumi." The idea of never knowing her name, haunted her the whole time. Just the fact that she finally remembered something made her feel very relieved. It proofed that she could possibly remember more about herself, and just that was actually the very first positive thing she experienced so far.
"That's great Yona No— I mean Yona Ayuki. Do you remember anything else?"
"Hmm...my birthday at least."
That made him smile at least. "Better than nothing, right?"
Hyu Zefrick in front of her acted completely differently than the man she met in the beginning. The cold iced gaze was now replaced with a friendly one. Was this his normal personality? It was hard to tell, but then again, everything at the moment was hard to tell for her. Thinking back on how she was just called, he used the word "Yona". "Hey, Hyu Zefrick, what does Yona mean?"
He looked at Ayuki with doubting eyes, probably trying to check whether she meant it or not. Ayuki just stared back at him, trying to make it clear with her face that she was honest.
"Wow, serious? You've never heard of it before?"
"Well, I noticed some people addressing me like that, but I have no clue what it means."
"Ah, I see...well...they're basically the honorifics we use to refer to our respective positions. You see, under normal conditions, we use Yona to address females in the city and Yano for the men. Then there's also Hyu for those who are working in the Order to protect this city and Hyo for the ones in charge of commanding the Order."
"Okay. So...I'm Yona Ayuki?"
"That's right."
"And you can also be called Yano Zefrick?"
"Well, Hyu would be more polite and appropriate, but Yano isn't incorrect. With people you're close with just the name is alright though," said Zefrick,"Oh before I forget. I've been told to give you a message. It's about your judgment test."
"Ah— the test yeah..." She had completely forgotten it, but since it's been mentioned now, all the horrifying memories of that day returned in an instant. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT MONSTER?!"
"Relax, relax, Ayuki. I've been told you've encountered a Defarin before you collapsed, that's what we call them by the way. They're sort of the guardians of this city."
"Guardians?"
"Yes. They are strong beings that live in the sands. It's a mystery how they've been able to survive for so long, though it's actually a trouble having them around the city. Well, at least they help us keeping outsiders at bay."
"I almost got killed there... didn't I? What happened?" Ayuki said. The last thing she remembered was the Defarin attempting to eat her.
"Hmm, I'm not sure. I have honestly never heard of the judgment test before, though I don't think you're in trouble so don't worry. Defarins basically attacks anyone if noticed. They can sense the movements you make on the ground."
"How can I not worry? I've been just thrown away like free food as if it were nothing. What's next, torture, prison, or a death game?"
"If they wanted you dead, you wouldn't be alive now in this room, lying in a bed," Zefrick said, putting down his book and letting out a heavy sigh now, "If you would ask me, I think they were trying to see whether you were aware of the situation outside the city. Falling unconscious should rather prove your innocence, that can't be faked as far as I know."
It did make sense what Zefrick was saying. Would this mean that she's safe now? "I sure hope that's the case..."
Zefrick put on a little smile. "Oh, but uhm... continuing back on the judgment test thingy, I'm supposed to guide you to Hyo Ravendell, is what I've been told."
"Hyo Ravendell? That means he is a higher-up, right?"
"Yes, he wanted to speak with you. It should be about the judgment test and your current situation, so whenever you're ready I'll show the way."
A higher-up, just the kind of thing Ayuki wasn't looking forward to. The Observers were probably part of them, right? She certainly didn't like anyone of them, sending a harmless girl to a death sentence, sort of. She just couldn't erase the horrible Defarin experience from her memories that were haunting her thoughts every now and then.
"Is it trouble?" Ayuki said, looking at Zefrick with worrisome eyes. He was basically the only person she trusted at the moment.
"No, no, I'm sure it's not. He didn't give me the exact details, but don't worry, Hyo Ravendell is a very amazing person. He wouldn't do anything outrageous."
Everyone is currently better than Flynner, to be honest. Amazing or not, Ayuki's currently seen as an intruder so she decided to stay cautious of the people around her. Best thing to do now, she thought, is to behave properly enough to lower the chances of another judgment test or the like. "O-okay I'll go now then."
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"As you know already, he's an important man, so be formal against him."
"Yes, I will."
Zefrick and Ayuki were on their way walking towards Ravendell's office. In the process, Ayuki looked every person in eyes that would pass them. There was a good mix of men and woman, most of them looking older than herself. She was eighteen years old now if she could trust the memory of her dream that is, but to even doubt that would be disheartening so she gladly accepted it as the truth.
"It's right through this door, Zefrick said, "Knock at the door while addressing him by Hyo Ravendell. When permission is granted you may open the door, got it?"
Ayuki looked at him and nodded her head."Yeah, yeah, I get it. Don't worry."
"Alright, then we will part ways now so good luck. Let's meet again soon."
"Yes, thanks for everything Hyu Zefrick."
"No problem Yona Ayuki," Zefrick said, withdrawing himself from her sight.
Standing in front of the door now, Ayuki knocked on it two times. "H-Hyo Ravendell?" she said.
A few seconds passed by before a reply came back. "Yes, come in."
Ayuki opened the door and slowly walked inside. In front of her, she saw a man sitting on his desk. He was wearing a funny looking eye-patch on his left eye. Ayuki recognized him, he was also part of the Observers at that time, wasn't he? He isn't wearing a hat right now, but it was definitely him sitting there during the interrogation or whatever it may be called. "Ah, Yona No-name, welcome. I wanted to speak with you. Please, have a seat."
Ayuki carefully sat down on the chair in front of him. "Relax, no need to be formal with me. I'm not that great of a person," Ravendell said.
"Okay...uhm, so what did you want to discuss?"
"Oh, a lot if I may! I'm very interested in you and I've many questions for you, but maybe it's probably no use since you lost your memory, right?"
He was certainly right about that. She could hardly answer any question at the moment. If anything, she was the one asking questions to everyone. It was a bit annoying, but what other choice did she have? Well, there was at least one thing she was more sure about. "Yes, but just recently I remembered my name."
"Oh, that's good news! So, your name is?"
"Ayuki, Ayuki Kazumi."
"Yona Ayuki, it's a pleasure meeting you."
"Likewise, Hyo Ravendell." He seems like a nice person, the impression of him was at least better than previously. "If may ask...what happened with the judgment test?" Ayuki said.
"That's what I wanted to discuss with you. We knew nothing about you so we needed to do something to clarify our doubts. To tell you the truth, the Order aren't that positive about you yet."
"So...what now then?"
"Basically, I trust you so you won't have to undergo some annoying procedures any longer. However, for you to become more trustworthy to the rest—
Ayuki interrupted him. "Why is it important to be trustworthy to everyone?"
"I was just about to tell you. Because you infiltrated this city which has never happened before. You bypassed our defense system which even the Dark nature couldn't succeed in, but let's not talk about that, it's another problem entirely...The point is that you might possess power which far surpasses our knowledge. In others words, without knowing your intentions, you could be considered a very dangerous threat."
"But I know nothing at all. How can I be a threat?"
"That is something we can't prove which is why you need to be trusted, and trust is something you need to gain."
"Okay, I get it...so how am I suppose to gain their trust?"
Well...to sum things up, this is what I said:
Thank you all for coming to this short meeting regarding our unknown intruder. As you all know we don't have proof of whether or not she's a threat to the city and to be honest there is nothing we can know about her as of yet. For that, I'd like to issue some rules she'll have to follow until she's officially acknowledged of not being a further threat. These rules are my proposal of how we can deal with our intruder so that we also don't further harm our reputation to the public.
Rule number one, Yona no-name will be assessed in Fes usage so that we can be aware of all her limitations. Number two, She will assist in any way deem possible to help figure out the investigation of her unknown intrusion. Three, under any circumstances, will she not be permitted to participate in suspicious activities.
"So do you understand all these rules?", Ravendell said, looking at Ayuki.
"No, what does Fes mean?"
"Ah that's right you know nothing about it. It refers to your possible powers you may possess. But don't worry, I'll make sure you'll be given a full explanation really soon."
"Okay..."
"By the way, can I ask how you regained your memory?"
Ayuki hesitated a bit. "Well, I dreamed about it..."
"Dreams, eh? I hope the rest of your memories will be just as easy. Get as many memories as you can, the better you know things, the better you can prove things. That's an important step in gaining trust."
"Okay, I let you know as soon as I remember more then."
"Yes please, though I don't have too much free time to be there for you all the time so I'm thinking of assigning someone to keep accompanying you while I'm busy. Hmm, for now, I'll introduce you to Ellyia." Now his eyes turned away from Ayuki and went a bit upwards. "Ellyia! Please come here for a minute."
"Y-yes Rave?" That same blue butterfly appeared above Ravendell's shoulder.
"Ellyia, do you mind showing Yona Ayuki around the city?"
"No, that's okay," the voice said in a friendly manner.
"Great!" His eyes switched back to Ayuki again. "Alright Yona Ayuki, Ellyia will give you a short tour. Feel free to ask her many questions, she will fill you up with the basic stuff. And here...take this pouch." Ravendell handed over the pouch to her. You could tell something valuable was inside just from the design of it. "It's your monthly allowance, so to speak. Use it well and enjoy your stay."
"Okay. I will do my best, thanks for all the help...and sorry for the trouble I made for you and the city." Ayuki stood up and made a little bow.
Ravendell smiling now. "The pleasure was mine."
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Watching outside through the window, making sure Ayuki left the building with Ellyia, Ravendell put his right hand behind his ear. "Wester," he said, and spotted Wester from afar.
"Hyo Ravendell," Wester said.
"Yona Ayuki just went outside as you saw. Make sure nothing goes wrong."
When Wester heard Ravendell's command, he took a deep breath and clenched his left hand into a fist as he swiftly turned invisible. "Understood."
"I'm sorry Yona Ayuki, but for safety reasons, we must keep a tight eye on you," Ravendell said while remembering the last rule he kept a secret from Ayuki.
And number four, during her stay she will be monitored by Wester without her knowing in case of suspicious behavior until she's no a longer considered a threat.