ã€ŠAll Alone with Youã€‹


 Chapter One: Stalking

    Must not lose them.

    That was what had been running on the mind of a high schoolgirl who was following a particular couple. Her targets were ahead of her, walking alongside each other. She kept a safe distance from them and did her best to walk casually for her not to attract attention.

    With the crowd flooding this street, to remain unseen was a bit easier for an amateur like her, but to keep track of the couple imposed a problem at the same time.

    The couple was a man and a woman. Both looked to be in their youth and if an outsider would look at them, one would think that they were dating each other, which probably was the truth.

    The woman was wearing a white glamorous one-piece dress. Her golden blonde hair hung from her head down to her slim waist. She is thin and tall, a frame that resembles a fashion model¡¯s. There was a noble aura coming off each of her actions. The way her arms sways as she walks. The way each time the heels of her sandals hit the paved sidewalk. Her finesse rivals those of the royalties of England. With all of these said, it was impossible not to notice her, but the crowd did not seem to see her at all.

    Except for Yana, the female student in her blue school uniform who had been stealthily stalking on them for quite a while now.

    Yana is a not-so-tall-and-not-so-short woman for her age. Her cute face is adorned by light make-up. Her chin-length, onyx-black hair freely waved at every movement she makes. Adorable is the word to completely describe her.

    Yana had been trailing them since the time she saw them coming out from an arcade center. Yana¡¯s attention was taken by the man who appeared to be someone she knew of. Though Yana had not seen their faces, the man looked familiar to her. Very familiar. He seemed to be a person she was very close to in the past.

    ¡°Past, huh?¡± she muttered under her breath thinking of how long since that ¡®past¡¯ was. Her eyes were completely on him. The man who was wearing the male uniform of the school Yana was attending to. He was taller than the woman beside him by two inches or so. But unlike the elegance the woman beside him carries, there was nothing outstanding about him except that shabby hair of his, which Yana recognized very well. ¡°Curse him!¡±

    It was October now, the air was beginning to get colder each day. More so, it was already around eight in the evening, but the coldness of the autumn night did not reach her. She was fuming deep inside. They had just broke up two weeks ago and then, she would see him with another woman. The woman was obviously not Jean, his elder sister, nor was she a mutual friend of theirs. The woman was a complete stranger to Yana.

    To think that he was already dating another girl, it set her heart ablaze in fury.

    Am I really that easy to be replaced? The very thought irritated her. Thinking about it belittled her self-confidence. At least, let the season change first!

    This was the only reason she accepted of why she was here now, stalking on her ex-boyfriend. Completely denying the thought that her actions and decisions were influenced by jealousy. Why should she be jealous? There was no reason for her to be jealous. None at all.

    Aside that, something was suspicious about that woman. ¡°There¡¯s no way a woman like her would be interested in Jiro,¡± she voiced out her thoughts. Yes. The woman beside the guy, Yana was referring to as Jiro, was way out of his league.

    The two of them turned to an alley. In response, Yana quickened her pace to catch up. Saying ¡°Excuse me¡¯s¡± and ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡¯s¡±, she squeezed her way through the crowd just to reach the point where they had turned. To her utmost surprise, the alley led towards a construction site.

    The alley was short but not well-lit. The only source of light were the light bulbs atop the left-open gate of the construction site and the lights from the adjacent street. It was nearly isolated. There was not even a single soul could be seen in this alley. At least it was like that before Yana saw them enter the site through the open gate.

    ¡°Was the construction suspended?¡± she wondered as she entered the same gate where Jiro and his date entered. ¡°But why was the gate left open?¡±

    It was darker inside the construction site. Consequently, Yana took her phone out to serve as a flashlight, setting its backlight to the dimmest so it would not give out her presence immediately.

    Hovering her phone around in trying to find traces of them, Yana remained calm, similar to a calm sea before a strong storm arrives.

    From how it looked, the incomplete structure stood around thirty feet tall and runs to fifteen feet in length. The first level was the only level that has already a wall built around its perimeter. The rest of the height was made by pillars and platforms framed by sturdy-looking iron poles. Yana assumed the project being done here was an apartment.

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    Mountains of sand and gravel were piled up at the east side, assuming she was facing north. Machineries unknown to her were placed on certain areas in front of the raised wall. With all the minutes she had been inside this premises, she did not happen to spot any workers nor the pair she was tailing. It seemed like she lost sight of her quarry.

    Do I really need to follow them there? Yana thought looking at the entrance of the incomplete building. She got nothing to do with any of this. She could just turn her back from here, head home, take a warm bath and sleep afterwards. After all, Jiro¡¯s life is his own now. That¡¯s what he wants so he gets it. But¡­

    Yana had decided to continue, defying her own thoughts.

    The mess of construction work remained inside. Dusts fled off with each step Yana makes. Letting the particles of dust dance on the spotlight coming from her phone. Shards of glasses and an assortment of sharp small metal pieces were scattered almost everywhere. Yana also spotted some kind of wire hanging from the ceiling. Even a not so smart person could tell this place was not safe to loiter around in the middle of the night.

    Yana found out that there were only two ways to reach the higher levels. One was through makeshift ramps and the other one was the gondola, which was located by the right side of the entrance. Since she has no knowledge on how a gondola operates, she took the ramp to reach the second level.

    On the second level, lights from the busy street illuminated a bit of the site. Maybe it was that or Yana¡¯s sight has already adjusted to the darkness.

    The cold air was blowing here freely as much as it wants. Invited or not. Creating whispering howls to her ear.

    *Clank!*

    The sound of a metal hitting the floor took her by surprise. Yana looked around frantically, trying to pinpoint the direction of where the sound came from. Then suddenly, something caught her eye.

    She had found where they were.

    They stood there side by side, near the edge of the second level. Their frames were outlined by the nearby lights.

    Yana could only see their silhouettes from where she stands hence she could not tell what they were doing. If they were talking on a normal volume, she would probably hear them, but there was only the sound of her breathing, the howling autumn wind, and the faint noise of the nearby busy street.

    She crept closer towards them. As she do so, the taller silhouette moved. It appeared to her like it took a step. Forward.

    The action stunned Yana rooting her in place.

    ¡°W-w-what a-are y-you doing?¡± she stammered almost inaudible, not believing her eyes.

    They were not facing her. Instead, they were facing the open space with a height of more or less than ten feet. Not a deadly height. But, what lays below? Will it be a safe place to land on? She had no way of knowing, she did not have the time to do so.

    Yana completely forgot that she was stalking them, it did not matter now. She walked faster, and shouted aloud, ¡°Jiro! Stop!¡±

    Jiro did not respond, but his companion did.

    The woman with the golden hair turned to Yana with a surprise expression, ¡°You! How? How did you ¡ª?¡±

    However, Yana was not able to see the stranger¡¯s face clearly. In fact, she was not really paying any attention to her. Yana¡¯s attention was monopolized by the person she once loved.

    No. She still loves him. Yana reluctantly admitted this.

    She slowly inched closer towards Jiro. She never really wanted to lose him in the first place.

    Yana wanted to run towards him, pull him closer ¡ª back to her.

    Despite that will, her legs betrayed her. It just suddenly felt heavy, as if they were chained to the ground, as if she was running on deep mud. As if someone was hindering her to be with him.

    Move! she thought desperately.

    A faint glow of red light started to appear around them. Completely encircling them. Whatever it was, Yana did not care. All she care about was to be together with him again. Just one more time.

    Jiro took another step then vanished from her sight.

    Yana forcefully broke free from the invisible shackles and ran without any second thoughts. Following Jiro on his fall.

 Chapter Two: Chased

    Feeling a stinging pain in her head, Yana slowly opened her eyes.

    At first her sight was nothing but blur and pixels. The dizziness she felt was strong that she was not able to think of anything until everything had cleared up.

    The first thing she saw was a ceiling made of intertwining branches of trees above her. With the rays of sunlight weaving through each lush layer of leaves, the leafy ceiling was filled with green lights.

    The particles of light that was able to pass through, formed small pillars which appeared to be like spotlights from live TV shows and live concerts. One of these pillars of light happened to be shining down on where Yana was lying. The concentrated light forced her to squint her eyes half-open but the light was not something irritatingly hot similar to that of the summer¡¯s high noon sun. In fact, it brought a warm and mild revitalizing sensation on her skin.

    Yana had laid there for a brief time, waiting for her sense of sight to completely adjust and the dizziness she feels to cease down. It did not took that long for her to feel better. When she felt she was already fine, she slowly sat up and found herself within a forest.

    The forest was shady but the suspended light illuminated enough to see everything here. Though, there was not much to see anyway. There were just a tree, then another tree, a bush, and another tree.

    The place was completely surrounded by trees and small shrubs.

    As she was looking around, Yana saw him not far from her, lying flat on his back, soundly sleeping. The sight of him, sent a warm feeling to her heart. Then, she remembered herself falling from somewhere.

    Was that a dream? ¡­ No. It¡¯s more like a nightmare.

    To her, those events felt real. Confusion rose within her, unable to confidently tell that what she had remembered was just a bad dream. Numerous questions started to pop up on her mind but she discarded them for now.

    She scooted closer towards Jiro to look at his sleeping face. Jiro¡¯s face was nothing outstanding, it was simple yet neat. His skin looked healthy, free from acne. His eyelashes are short and thin. His eyes, when open, are black in color. Yana could recall how it looked drowsy most of the time. His body is lean, built with underdeveloped muscles. It was the same for his arms and legs. After all, he was not an outdoor person.

    Yana knew that what all he did on his spare time was to read books or play console games. Yana had asked him once, about how he does not get fat after having a poor lifestyle. He just smiled at her saying, ¡°It¡¯s the gift of heavens for me.¡±

    ¡°Are we on a picnic and happen to fall asleep here?¡± Smiling, Yana combed his messy hair with her slender fingers. Yana could not understand herself. She failed to stop the parade of questions that had been wanting to march inside her mind. Why did she feel relieved? Why was she so happy when she saw him? Was it because of that dream?

    ¡°You know what? I had a nightmare. There, we already broke up, and you were already dating another girl¡­ It pissed me off so I, um uh¡­ decided to follow both of you.¡±  She was fumbling with his hair as she narrates her dream to the sleeping man in an embarrassed manner. ¡°Then, the two of you went into a construction site. For some reason, there y-you jumped from the second floor¡­

    ¡°I-i-it¡¯s scary to lose you, Jiro.¡± Her lips began to tremble. ¡°I can¡¯t really explain it, but I¡¯m really happy that I¡¯m with you now.¡±

    Whatever she felt at that moment was poured out through her eyes. The words she was about to say were choked down by her sobbing. Her soft cries echoed through the forest and vanished in the wind.

    Yana was surprised at herself. It seemed like these tears were held up for a long time and now was just the time for her to let them all out. She was wondering what the reason for these tears was, but she failed to think of any. She continued to cry until she felt something wiped her tears away.

    It was Jiro¡¯s hand. He was staring at her silently. She returned his gaze as she tried to hold his hand, but it slipped through her grasp.

    He was pointing something else at her back.

    It was then Yana became aware of something growling behind her.

    A big shadow loomed over her, completely blocking the spotlights shining down upon them.

    She quickly spun around and saw a creature she did never expect to see in person.

    The creature was like a cross from a human and a boar or maybe it was more appropriate to say, it looked like a boar standing on its two chunky hind legs.

    Its eyes were staring sinisterly at her, telling her that it has found its prey. Drips of saliva ran down from its mouth, which was fenced with two rows of pointed teeth. If those teeth did not look lethal yet, there was also a pair of tusk on both end of its wide mouth.

    But Yana¡¯s horror did not end with that, the boar-human-like creature was carrying a wooden club with spikes made from uneven-shaped stones. It was also wearing an armor made of wood, framed by iron piles, and each parts were connected by metallic chains.

    Shuddering in fear, Yana quickly scrambled up, pulling along Jiro at the same time. She never let her gaze leave the creature as she slowly back away.

    ¡°We have to run,¡± she whispered. Her grip on Jiro¡¯s hand tightened then she broke into a run almost dragging the sitting Jiro. He was forced to follow her, otherwise he himself would get hurt.

    Directions did not matter to Yana. She was convinced that this place was not on Earth.

    There was no way such creature exists on Earth!

    She turned around to see if the creature gave chase.

    Unfortunately, it did. It was running using its three limbs, the one which holds the spiked club occasionally hits the ground and served as its fourth leg. Whenever the club hits the earth, it either leaves a small crater on the soil or leave the weeds completely trampled on.

    Yana noticed that the creature was still fast, despite its massive body and she began to doubt that they would be able to outrun it. Being pessimistic at a time like this, she could not believe herself. She immediately rebuked herself for thinking like that. She started to run on full speed, still holding Jiro¡¯s hand tightly.

    ¡°What¡¯s an orc doing here?!¡± Yana exclaimed exasperatingly. Was it really an orc?! It resembles an orc so it must be an orc!

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    ¡°Y-you can ¡ª let go ¡ª of my hand ¡ª now,¡± Jiro said in between breaths. ¡°It would be ¡ª ea-sier ¡ª for us ¡ª to run that way.¡±

    She looked at him nodding and hesitatingly set his hand free.

    The terrain they were running on went downhill. They were still running as fast as what they could manage. They often crashed through bushes and shrubs, and if they do, they will always come out with grazes and scratches.

    The pain notified Yana that she was not having a nightmare, that everything that was happening right now is nothing but reality.

    The two of them were breathing heavily. The downhill slope did not make this run easier for them. They had to keep their balance because if they did not do so, they do not know how long their fall would be.

    Funny, I¡¯m about to fall again, she thought sardonically. Yana did not know why she thought of something like this again. At most, at a time like this, where her life was depending on a marathon against a creature, which she still could not believe exists.

    The creature Yana referred to as an ¡®orc¡¯ still pursued them. This very fact drained the energy out of her. She was beginning to give up, intentionally get out of balance, and die from injuries she would receive from the fall. But she knew that it would not make any difference. Her body would still be this creature¡¯s meal in the end so she did not gave in to the idea. She had never dreamt of being served as a luncheon dish for orcs.

    Not from far away, she heard a new sound. Different from the whipping sound of the branches hitting them. Different from their non-stopping puffs. Different than the growling of the monster lurking behind them. This was the first time she heard such calming sound from the time she woke up on this place.

    It was a sound of rushing water.

    ¡°Jiro! Can you hear that?!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    They kept on running, exceeding the fastest speed record they had done in their lives.

    ¡°That sound. It¡¯s a sound of ¡ª water.¡± Yana panted. ¡°There must be a river nearby.¡±

    ¡°What about it? Can it save us from that orc?¡±

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t really know. But ¡ª let¡¯s hide there. Beneath the water or behind a big rock, anything would do.¡±

    ¡°What if it can ¡ª swim?¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯re going to run away again!¡± she shouted this time getting impatient of the continuous questioning. ¡°We can¡¯t keep on running like this! We have to rest!¡±

    They had already reached the base of the slope and a rocky river came to view. The water running on it was crystal clear clean. The current was calm, good enough for a normal person to cross it.

    In Yana¡¯s pleasure, boulders were scattered both on the river and the riverside. One particular boulder caught Yana¡¯s attention, it was located right in the middle of the river piled with smaller rocks.

    ¡°There!¡± she pointed. She took Jiro¡¯s hand again and sprinted towards the river.

    They hopped into the body of running water hoping that this enough to serve as their haven.

    The river¡¯s depth was knee-deep. The cold water running through their calloused feet gave a soothing and stinging sensation. Both of them had thrown their shoes away some time ago when they started to run downwards, so right now their socks were completely torn and as a result the soles of their feet were filled with light wounds and scratches.

    Gasping for air, they crouched low behind the boulder Yana had pointed earlier. When their breathing partially became normal, they turned to look on the direction where they came from. Waiting for the unusual creature to come.

    Its barrel-like body appeared a few seconds later. The monster quickly surveyed the area. From how it took each breath, Yana noted that the creature was also exhausted from the chase. After scouting the riverside, it headed towards the edge of the river, crouched low and drank the fresh water from the river.

    At this moment, both of them became tense. The ¡®orc¡¯ was just a few yards away from them. They were so near that they could hear its ragged breathing. The very thought that it was tasting the same water they were dipped in, did not help Yana to relax.

    Does this creature has sharp senses? Yana wondered silently.

    If yes, then they are definitely going to meet their demise here. Both of them knew they had to run immediately if the situation went worse than this, but it was highly doubtful that they will last another marathon against this monster.

    Yana could hear her heart beating hard against her chest, it was still following a fast tempo. Yana wondered if dying people could hear this same tempo. For this beating to become this eminent in the last seconds of your life, it felt like it was a taunt coming from the universe. A taunt that reminds anyone that they were alive at this moment and when this beating finally came to a stop, it was the end of everything.

    Nevertheless, it seemed like their lives were spared for now. The beating of their hearts continued to beat the tempo of life in them. For the ¡®orc¡¯ had turned its back on them and began to climb the dense forest hill.

    Sighs of relief were expelled at the same time.

    ¡°Thank goodness. Jiro, we¡¯re safe.¡± Yana completely sat down on the river bed making her whole body submerged in water except for everything above her neck. She thought that they were done there, but they somehow made it out alive.

    Alive.

    Yana savored that word in her mind. Smiling, she looked up at Jiro to see his face, wanting to see his smile she loves so much as a form of reward, as if their lives being spared was not enough.

    He was looking back at her, but the expression he had was different from her expectations.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Yana asked curiously furrowing her brows. Her smile turned to a straight line.

    The words she heard from him were not definitely something she fathomed of.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

 Chapter Three: Lost

    Yana held unto his coat, looking up at him with teary eyes. She did not mind kneeling on the stony riverbed, rather she could not give it a second of thought.

    ¡°Who am I? What do you mean? You¡­ You¡¯re joking, right?¡±

    These questions were asked by Yana, not believing what she had just heard. The expression on her face was so far from the relieved expression she had earlier.

    ¡°Sorry, but I meant what I said,¡± he replied to her. ¡°You¡¯ve been calling me Jiro earlier. Is that my name?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t remember anything? About school? About Jean? A-about us?¡± she asked, silently hoping for him to say that he was bluffing but the look on his face betrayed all of her hopes. She knew it very well when Jiro was serious and when he was not.

    He silently shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t really remember anything.¡±

    A turmoil of emotions started to flood over her heart. They had escaped that beast yet another misfortune had surged up for Yana. She did not know what to do nor what to say.

    On the verge of crying, she bowed down to hide her face from Jiro. As she bit her own lips, trying to stop any sob that would come out from her. The last thing she should do right now was to cry again, she knew this very well. Crying won¡¯t do anything! I have to think!

    What to do now? What to do?

    ¡­

    She was lost.

    The two of them were on a different world. That was what she believed after encountering that ¡®orc¡¯. Their safety was not guaranteed in this place. They had zero information of how close the nearest town or village was, nor do they know if there were also humans here.

    Base from games she had played and stories she had read with a heroine being sent to a different universe, they were supposed to start on a civilized village where gathering data would be easier and not, definitely not, in the middle of wilderness where a ferocious monster would chase them to their deaths.

    Also, the question of how and why they were sent here was lingering at the back of her mind. She looked up for the memory of what was the last thing that happened when she was in their original world. Memories of her life which she thought of as dreams earlier. The construction site, Jiro and that woman in the white gown, the red glowing light, and their fall.

    Did we die from that fall? she asked herself.

    It was possible. After seeing the existence of a cross of a human and a boar, was she still in a place to say that something is impossible?

    This world, to her, it seemed like the world she knew of. The world she lived and grew up in. Yet this was not the same world. She felt like she was playing a role of a certain heroine in a fantasy anime, deprived of any knowledge of what is written in the script.

    ¡°Whoever wrote this story, I¡¯m going to hunt him down and bring him back here!¡± she said in a low voice making her to stop contemplating things for now. The fact that she could complain like this ease her mind, at the very least, she knew that she has not gone crazy yet.

    Or maybe she already has.

    She was convinced of these facts: She is a girl, who was sent into a different world with her memory-less ex-boyfriend. They have nothing with them, not even a spare of clothes. And now, they were standing close to each other, in the middle of the river, with nowhere to go. When this thought ran across her mind, Yana became aware of her position. Of how she was still clinging unto Jiro. Of how they would look from a third person¡¯s view.

    Embarrassed, she quickly let go of Jiro¡¯s coat and apologized, still hiding her face. Avoiding Jiro¡¯s curious gaze.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of the water before we catch a cold,¡± she suggested standing straight up and started to whisk her way to the other side of the river.

    To him, I¡¯m a stranger. I must act appropriately.

    Jiro was staring at this woman¡¯s back as she shuffled her way out of the river.

    Her clothes were soaked wet, her short hair was in a disarray, but what was this that he felt earlier? When she was near, holding unto him, shaking, he had the urge to embrace her as if it was natural for him to do so.

    The feeling of her being close to him felt familiar but he cannot remember. No matter how hard he tried. No matter how much he wanted to. He could not remember.

    She looked back at him asking, ¡°What are you standing there for? Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Where to?¡± he asked back.

    With eyebrows raised, she responded impatiently, ¡°How would I know?¡±

    Hands on waist, she added, ¡°But I think it¡¯s better to keep moving as long as the sun is up, so let¡¯s go or I¡¯ll just leave you here.¡±

    <hr />

    ¡°Uhm¡­¡­. May I ask for your name?¡± Jiro tried to start a conversation but his companion was deep in her thoughts.

    They were now following the river for quite a while now. Yana hoped the body of water would lead them to a small village or something alike. Ancient civilizations started near rivers, right? As long as there¡¯s a human, or a race, they can peacefully talk to, it will be fine.

    Though, they had decided to follow the river, Yana had suggested that they should walk within the forest, for she fears to come across with another weird creature that will send them to their graves¡­ Or possibly to its stomach.

    Directions did not matter to her, but judging from the setting sun¡¯s position, she believed that they were heading westward. However, this assumption is not that reliable, after all, they were not on Earth nor does she know if this world they were in now, rotates just like Earth. She just hoped that the game designer was kind enough to follow Earth¡¯s astronomical physics.

    But if he could be gracious, at least set a better starting point! she thought wryly.

    How long had they been walking? Yana could not tell but she knew night is about to fall.

    All of her belongings were missing. Her phone was probably lying down somewhere on that construction site. More likely, her bag too shared the same fate.

    The clothes she was wearing was almost dry. She would not be surprise, if she was going to have a cold tomorrow. Thankfully the temperature was not so hot for her not to sweat a lot. Otherwise, it was not just colds she was going to have, but pneumonia.

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    Aside her health condition for the next day, she was also worried about the coming night. How are they going to eat? How are they going to sleep out here in the open? Just thinking about the cold evening breeze sent shivers to her.

    If only she had joined the scouts back in elementary, the skills taught there might become handy here.

    Now she wanted to join scouts. Her thoughts were becoming weirder every minute. She felt dumb. She could not even tell if she regret her decision of following Jiro that night, which appeared to be a few hours ago.

    If she had not followed, what would likely might happen? Yana wondered. She would probably hear news on the next day that Jiro was hospitalized or at worst had died. And Yana saw herself crying because of this, clueless of why all of this had happen. Simply put, it was almost the same scenario, only situated in different worlds minus the chasing and wandering within a forest.

    The woman who was with Jiro, just who was she? Yana believes that she was the one who is behind of all of this and that she holds all the answer to the questions of Yana.

    Jiro tapped her on the shoulder to draw her out of her thoughts, which startled her.

    ¡°I¨CI¡¯m sorry, but, can we rest for a bit?¡± He was not really thinking about him being tired, he was more worried about this woman who was standing in front of him wearing a uniform that goes well with his. He assumed they were schoolmates because of this.

    She was pretty despite the marks that were covering her face. Marks she got from the branches that slapped them when they were trying to escape the boar-like creature earlier.

    Their heights were not far from each other. Base on his judgement, he was taller by five inches. Her body was slim and fit. Her skin was fairly toned which adds to the allure she has. But her hazel eyes were in a storm, it was like a coffee drink that is being stirred.

    Yana agreed to him and leaned on a nearby tree saying nothing. It was then that she felt the weight on her legs. She was so immersed on her thoughts that she had not observed the toil of the long walk and desperate running had brought her legs to exhaustion.

    Taking off her coat which she later hung on a branch of the tree she was leaning on, she noticed Jiro was staring at her on a certain area. She quickly looked down and saw what took Jiro¡¯s attention. The top two buttons of her blouse were open, partially revealing her upper undergarment. She impulsively covered herself and shot a glare at him.

    Though, they had dated each other for two years, she had not let Jiro touch her on the body parts that defines her womanhood. They had kissed a lot but it was never more than that.

    She disagrees to the idea of pre-marital sex, the reason for this is that she grew up without a father whom she had never met. Yana heard from a relative that her mother was never married to that man and he had abandoned her immediately after learning about the pregnancy. Completely running away from the responsibility. After explaining this to Jiro, he respected her wishes and did not force her to do anything kinky. As a result, Yana loved him more.

    He had already looked away from her and as he took off his own jacket, he apologized. The apology did not earn any reply but he did not gave up the effort of starting a conversation.

    ¡°Um. If you don¡¯t mind, may I know your name?¡± he inquired this time he asked in a respectfully, still not looking at her.

    After buttoning her blouse up, she thought about answering. Yana was wiping her white blouse, in attempt to straighten the wrinkled fabric of her clothes. The method was not really satisfactory so she thought she was just fooling around.

    ¡°Yana, Your name is Jiro. We are classmates.¡± she answered more than what was asked for.

    ¡°Classmates, huh? I hope we are good friends,¡± he was looking at her now. Concerned of what her answer would be.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we are.¡±

    He breathed out a sigh of relief and smiled. ¡°I ¨C I thought we¡¯re not on good terms. You¡¯ve been looking angry since we escaped that thing.¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m thinking about a lot of things.¡±

    Yana did not even need to enumerate them, he completely understood her situation. Lost within a dense forest, with a useless guy in her tow.

    ¡°Don¡¯t take everything all by yourself,¡± he advised. ¡°You can still confide on me even if I don¡¯t have my memories.¡±

    He paused for a moment, thinking of something helpful to say and settled with, ¡°I may not offer a lot of suggestions, but still, talking it out lessens the stress on you.¡±

    Yana agreed to that. She had been shouldering everything on her own since the beginning. Even back in their real world, it was the same.

    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right when you said that back then,¡± she muttered looking on a distant memory.

    ¡°Back then?¡± he repeated. ¡°Have we had this kind of conversation in the past?

    She smiled adorably at him. ¡°You were so annoyed at me that time.¡±

    Unexpectedly, the atmosphere between them became light, and so how she felt that she forgot her aching legs. The wind blew, and the fluttering sound of leaves echoed throughout the forest.

    To Yana, it sounded like the trees were speaking to her, telling that everything would be fine. As long as he was here with her, nothing could go wrong. This thought sent a warmth deep in her soul and so Yana treasured this moment within her heart.

    The scene of two lost people standing in a forest talking casually, like everything was under their control.

    ¡°Since night is about to come, why don¡¯t we settle here for the night?¡± Yana proposed as she stood straight. ¡°I¡¯m going to look for some fruits to eat. How about you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to set up a fire.¡± Jiro flashed a smile at her. The familiar smile that she grew fond of, but somehow, to her, it felt different as if it was not only reserved for her.

    Yana turned her back to him, with the tears she had held up starting to stream down her cheeks.

 Chapter Four: Night Beneath the Two Moons

    Yana returned with five fruits in her hands. It looked like oranges with its appearance but it has a different scent. It was sweeter in taste and its innards looked like an apple¡¯s, only it was pigmented orange. When she saw that Jiro was not able to conjure anything, not even an ember of flame, she could not help but smile. She was not really expecting him to be able to do the task since she knew that Jiro had never done it before.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for failing to make a fire¡­ After saying that I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    Yana shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I actually think that it¡¯s going to be bad if we start a campfire here. Some creatures might be lure by the light so I guess not having a fire is better than having one.¡±

    They had decided to settle on a small clear space, just near the edge of the forest, the gentle rushing sound of the nearby river could be heard. The sky above, was already painted with scarlet colors with a full moon, showing its splendor to the creatures below, has started to take over the sun¡¯s throne in the sky. Anyone could tell that night has come.

    Over a sweet fruit, they had their dinner. Yana had given three to Jiro, since she had already ate one and kept the remaining two for herself. At first, Jiro was insisting to let Yana have three since she was the one who gathered it, but Yana scolded him for being hard-headed. In fear of her being annoyed at him, Jiro reluctantly surrendered and kept the fruits with him.

    The two of them were sitting across each other, both were leaning against the trunk of the trees behind them. Yana was hugging her knees closer to her while Jiro was seating on the ground in a sukhasana pose.

    The forest was supposed to be dark but thanks to the radiance of the moon it was not, there were also fireflies drifting in the air that slightly illuminates the area where they are. Yana admirably look at the small creatures and appreciated their beauty. From the city they live in, fireflies were rare creatures so this was a rare occasion for her. Probably, she should get used to this, since she does not know how long they will stay in this place.

    ¡°Jiro, what do you know?¡± Yana asked a little bit later. She had decided about this after crying some time ago, she should assess how Jiro¡¯s condition was, if not she would not be able to help themselves. ¡°I mean, how much do you remember?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ Uh¡­ All I know is that were not in our original world. Other than that, I can¡¯t remember anything. I¡¯m sorry.¡± How many time he has apologized for this day? Yana had already lost count.

    ¡°No. It¡¯s not your fault. At least, you know we are not in our ¡®home planet¡¯, that¡¯s better than having the thought that you¡¯re a local here.¡± And Yana proceeded to the next thing in her to-do list. ¡°Since you know about that, I won¡¯t be having trouble explaining¡­ We have to make a backstory for ourselves.¡±

    She had the thought of it earlier. If they were going to meet someone, what were they going to tell to that person?  Something like ¡®Hello, we¡¯re from Earth and we lost our way here. Can you please show us the way back?¡¯ would not work, would it? Yana had confidence that she could bring up something at that very moment but how about Jiro? Could he go along with her act? In his current condition, Yana was certain he could not, so she should talk to him about this, thus, led to this conversation.

    ¡°I already thought of one so please listen¡­¡± The backstory she thought of was that they were foreigners whose ship got shipwrecked and they were washed ashore to this land. She had not seen any sea in this place yet, nor does she know how near they are from one. If this turned out to be inappropriate, she said to Jiro that she will handle it. ¡°But for now, let¡¯s settle with this.¡±

    Standing up straight from sitting, Yana looked down on Jiro and said, ¡°That¡¯s all I have to say. If there are something else you have in mind, feel free to speak up.¡±

    ¡°¡­I, uh¡­ No. I don¡¯t have any idea yet but yes, I¡¯m going to tell you if I have one.¡±

    Yana smiled sheepishly and leave it at that. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll head to the river¡­ Please don¡¯t follow. I, uhm, I¡¯m going to have a drink.¡±

    Stolen novel; please report.

    Yana headed to the river, but instead of simply drinking, she stripped off her clothes and soaked herself in the cold running water. It was colder than before, but Yana did not mind about it. She was looking down on her body, right at her bare chest. It felt tight there. Like something was pinning her heart against a wall and the stinging pain dominated the coldness of the water.

    ¡°Why?¡± she asked softly. She shut her eyes close yet tears were rolling again from them. She was surprised when her tears started running down when she was about to look for food earlier, but this time it did not. The feeling had been bugging her throughout the time they were eating till the time they had been talking. Throughout the time she was staring at Jiro. She was doing her best to hide it from him; her pain in seeing him in that empty state.

    However, this was not Yana¡¯s sole reason for her tears. Yana has her own fears, her own worries. In this foreign place, how will they be able to keep on living like this? Is there a way to go back?

    She opened her eyes and look at herself through the water along with the brilliance of the moon. It was then she noticed how bright this evening is. Looking up, another moon was looming up above the heavens. It was bluish-white and a little bit bigger than the other one. The scene was captivating, but it erased all of Yana¡¯s hope, even though it was so small, that they were not on a different place.

    Her lips curved, and a feeling of something breaking inside her started. The cries she had been holding onto her lips escaped.

    ¡°Why?! Why are we here?!¡±

    <hr />

    He decided to follow her despite the fact she said not to follow her. He could not erase this anxious feeling, that there is something wrong with Yana. He panicked, when she started to get undress, after all he was not here to peep on her.

    Turning his back on Yana, he decided to talk to her later, but to his surprise his feet would not move. Somehow, his desire as a man took over him. He stood there and when he heard the sound of her getting inside the water, it was then he turned again to look at the river. He could not see anything but her back and the river lit up by the moons, this ease his mind a bit.

    The scene was entrancing, a woman bathing in the river beneath the two-rounded moons. The flying fireflies added to the picturesque evening.

    He could not remember if there were two moons from the world they came from, but he was certain that what he was seeing right now is beauty itself.

    Yana. He thought of her as a smart and strong person. She remained calm and composed after all what happened. She is cute too, her smile, her short hair. But he noticed that her eyes carries a lot of emotions. He could not be sure, thus the thought left him jumpy on his toes. He wanted to reach out to her but he does not know how to do it. If only he had the memory from the past, he was sure he will be able to do it. She said they are close, right?

    Then he heard her crying out to the heavens, ¡°Why?! Why are we here?!¡±

    He was stumped for a while, he could see her tears running down. She was crying her heart out. He smiled, and turning around he started to go back to the place where they had decided to stay.

    Of course, she would be crying, he told to himself. It must be tough for her to wake up on a different land, with a friend who lose his memories, to run for her life being chased by a dangerous creature, to wander inside a vast forest without a clue of where to go.

    ¡°Unlike me, she still has her memories with her,¡± he whispered in the air. ¡°It must be harder for her to accept things.¡±

    He prayed that Yana would overcome everything she has been harboring in her heart.

    Cry it out loud. Don¡¯t stop until you let them all out.

 Chapter Five: Recklessness

    Breaking the peaceful atmosphere of the morning, they suddenly heard a sound similar to that of a rolling thunder. It reverberated throughout the forest that caused flocks of birds alarmingly fled away from the vicinity.

    It was highly doubted that the sound was an actual thunder. For the sun was brightly shining up above, bathing this abundant forest with its glamorous rays. The light that has reached the ground confirmed this fact for Yana.

    ¡°Quick! I believe it¡¯s nearby!¡± Yana yanked Jiro¡¯s arm, almost dragging him, as she led the way to see what was making the massive sound.

    ¡°What if it was another weird creature?¡± Jiro asked worriedly.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have to reveal ourselves!¡± she replied. ¡°Besides, there¡¯s no way this kind of sound is made by a living being of our size! We¡¯ll immediately see it!¡±

    They had found a forest path earlier and Yana suggested to follow it. Hoping that it would lead to a road or a small town, they had decided to leave the river and took this unguaranteed path.

    After, probably half of an hour, in Yana¡¯s guess, they had decided to take rest for a bit and during the period they had rested, they heard this loud noise, completely surprising the two of them.

    Not far from where they had taken rest, they saw the bright sunlight up ahead, brighter than the light that has managed to skim through the thick layers of leaves of this forest.

    Yana could tell that, that was the end of the trail, and far ahead a wide space was awaiting them. She silently wished they had not stopped walking but it was not important now, was it?

    They had stopped near the edge of the forest, nervously waiting for the origin of the storm-like noise. At each second, the sound became more distinct. The ground beneath their feet started to tremble, but they themselves knew that this was not caused by an earthquake. Whatever caused every bit of this was coming from their right. And it was getting nearer.

    A few moment later, clouds of dust entered their line of sight. To Yana, it seemed like a sandstorm was heading their way. That was until she spotted the shadows of unknown creatures.

    Yana was half correct. The source of the sound was not close to human in size. What she got wrong was the number. It was a group of humongous creatures running towards them.

    A herd of four-legged creatures closely resembling cows, buffalos, and bisons. Their heads, topped with short horns, were leveled to their knees. While their rump was lower than their shoulders, where a noticeable hump could be seen. The creatures are covered with thick white fur all over its body except for their prided hump, the tip of their tails, and each of their shins, where, instead of the snow-like threads, a gradient of ash was painted by nature.

    These details were not known to both Yana and Jiro. Because, as the waves of beasts ran past through where they were, they left dust flying off around the area.

    Yana did her best to see everything but the smokescreen which rose from the earth effectively hindered her sense of sight.

    Not abiding with her own words, Yana partially covered her eyes using her right arm and stepped out of hiding to get nearer to the stampeding herd.

    Jiro had called out at her, but his voice was eaten up by the crackling noise.

    Entering the field of haze, Yana could now somewhat make out a few things.

    First was the dashing creatures. The closest animal she could refer to, to describe the beasts, was a yak. But she was sure these were not the yaks she knew of. Nor it¡¯s a close biological relative of the specie.

    The second thing she noticed was, despite the chaotic atmosphere the herd had brought, the beasts were not in fact scampering aimlessly nor showing any signs of panic. They were organized, running by pair.

    Each of them were pulling large stagecoaches, probably two meters in length and three meters in height. With wheels that is sturdy enough to carry the weight of a hugely built carriages and withstand the force from being pulled by humongous creatures.

    She supposed those stagecoaches were specifically adjusted for the yak-like beasts which size was close to a young elephant.

    ¡°Could this be a caravan?¡± she mused aloud.

    Each stagecoach were driven by a human or so that was how they appeared to Yana.

    ¡°We have to stop at least one of them,¡± Yana said at the highest volume she could manage.

    Jiro, who was already standing beside Yana, heard her and instantaneously disagreed on the idea. ¡°That¡¯s reckless! Those things could easily step on you!¡±

    However, Yana was not listening to him anymore. Or to say it correctly, she had not the chance to. She quickly acted after saying what was on her mind. And right now, at this very moment, she was already shouting while waving her hands in the air. Attempting to take the chauffers¡¯ attention.

    Being this close, she could feel the light gale coming from this rushing procession and the stronger tremors of the earth beneath her feet. It was a frightening experience, somehow this reminded her of a rushing train with a chance of getting derailed any moment, and ran straight unto her. Literally, squeezing her guts out of her body.

    Mustering all the might she could, she did everything to remain standing beside the rushing beasts. That alone was remarkable. However, her efforts did not bear any fruit.

    No one has stopped for her.

    Heaving for air, Yana stood there for a moment looking at the cloud of dust that had invaded this area minutes ago. Her hope of getting out of this wilderness had appeared instantly and had slipped through her fingers at the same instant. Can she really call that hope? The mocking question ran in her mind.

    Dejected, Yana sought for the shades of the forest. The heat from the sun was not blazingly hot, Yana had just become used to the protection of the forest that she impulsively acted on it.

    Jiro followed her without saying any word. He thought of ways to cheer her up but he could not think of any. He was beginning to hate himself for being useless. It had been Yana who was making things work out for them since yesterday. Though she failed recently, at least she was giving her best. Meanwhile he was merely there, standing and staring at her.

    Noticing how Jiro has been quiet for a while now, Yana broke the silence between them with a long sigh. She knew him to well to know what he was thinking at that moment.

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    ¡°If we¡¯re going to look at the bright side, we already know where to go. Let¡¯s just hope that this won¡¯t be a very long walk.¡±

    She was smiling as she looked ahead. Her hands were clasped together at her back as she walks forward. Though the thought of walking an unknown distance, barefooted, was not really desirable. She just forced a smile thinking of it, if not she might lose her morale to continue and quit right here, right now.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Jiro said sincerely. ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to offer any help.¡±

    Yana stopped on her feet then turned around facing him.

    ¡°Just you being here is enough help.¡± She flashed a smile again, this time Jiro was able to behold its beauty. ¡°I don¡¯t feel alone.¡±

    She stepped closer and took Jiro¡¯s hands holding it with hers. ¡°If you weren¡¯t here, maybe I won¡¯t be able to do anything right from the start.¡±

    It was the truth for Yana. If Jiro had not been here with her, she would not have any reason to withstand that marathon against that ¡®orc¡¯ nor would she have the bravery to stand again this morning.

    Actually, she felt lighter this morning, probably because she had said everything out loud. Her complaints. Her frustrations. Everything. Everything was thrown out to the two moons.

    She hoped the gods of this world had heard her and would do something about their situation. But of course, that was only her wishful thinking.

    Yana looked into his eyes, then to his nose and down to his lips, lingering there for a while before returning back to his eyes. She silently wished he would embrace her to cheer her up. That was what he would do if they were still dating each other but she knew well that would not happen. Staring at him was all she could do for now.

    Or probably there was still another one to do.

    ¡°Jiro, look there!¡± She pointed zealously. Her hope was revived by something behind Jiro.

    Jiro spun around to see what she was pointing that had brought back the energy to the once disheartened Yana.

    Not far away, its huge body was galloping forward.

    It was a lone carriage similar to those which had passed by already. Compared to the stampede earlier, the sound coming from this lonely cart could be considered as serene.

    It was getting nearer, with its current velocity, it will be right in front of them within a couple of minutes.

    Jiro looked back at Yana but she was not where she was standing before.

    Yana had a wild idea. She headed towards the middle of the wide dirt road and stood there. Her arms spread wide. Her head looking straight ahead, unafraid of the incoming beast.

    She was planning to stop it. With this one-man barricade. A daredevil¡¯s plan, one must say, or rather a foolish one¡¯s.

    Jiro yelled at her. Telling her to go back and let the stagecoach pass through but Yana remained stubborn.

    Yana had a feeling she could stop this beast. She could feel its kindness and that it would never hurt her. That it will understand her and see her good intention. She firmly believed in this even though there was no warranty for her safety. She could not explain it but she was certain this will work.

    The carriage was already near. There was no time for Jiro to push nor pull Yana away. Not even a chance to run where she was standing.

    ¡°Please! Stop!¡±

    Yana could hear Jiro¡¯s shouts from a short distance. She was not able to see where he was nor what he was doing at that time. She merely supposed he had run down to meet the carriage halfway to tell them to slow down or at best, to stop. Despite all of that, there were no signs of them slowing down.

    The beast was a couple of meters away. Any seconds by now, its bulky body would collide unto her. The proof of it became vividly clear. The ground trembles whenever the beast stomped its hooves over the dirt road. Though it was not as strong as what she had felt earlier.

    Maybe it was because she was able to stand near a herd of running behemoths that she obtained bravery on facing a lone one.

    She could already hear the ragged breathing of the beast from where she stood. Amidst all of this, Yana remained unfazed of what was in front of her, as if her life was not laid upon the rushing behemoth¡¯s way.

    Weird, I should be shaking right now. Yana thought jovially.

    She admitted that this was clearly, recklessness in its very definition. But she felt everything will be all right. That this will definitely work out. She had not even gave a single thought about the other side of the coin, if this failed¡­

    She could not bring herself to think about it.

    ¡°Yana, run away!¡± Jiro shouted.

    Either if Yana had a change of heart, it was already late for anything.

    The beast was already right in front of her, looking strong and unstoppable. If she suddenly wanted to run away, it¡¯s impossible to survive without having broken limbs.

    This has to work! Please stop! Yana prayed in her heart.

    Yana kept her eyes onto the incoming beast. Her eyes looked straight into its own eyes. She did not know what really happened or how it happened but she and the behemoth were suddenly in a different place where nothing could be seen but the color of white.

    ¡°I know you won¡¯t hurt me. Will you please stop for me?¡±

    Yana recognized her own voice echoing in the empty space despite that she had not utter any words that time. Her eyes remained on the creature in front of her. The beast was staring back at her and somehow Yana thought it smiled at her using its own eyes.

    Then, a blinding light shone between the two of them that forced Yana to close her eyes shut. And when she opened them again. There, right in front of her, within her hand¡¯s reach, she saw the furry head of the yak-like creature.

    Her lips cracked into a smile. That smile was a genuine smile that came from her heart. Her happiness could be seen right in her eyes. For the first time in this place, she felt real joy.

    Thankful that everything worked out, she gleefully petted the beast¡¯s head and whispered, ¡°Thank you.¡±

 Chapter Six: The Damsel in the Carriage

    Inside the carriage, a damsel was sitting primly on her seat, looking up at the sky through the right window of the sturdy vehicle she was riding on.

    The delay of their departure had put her in a dour mood. Who would not be? That delay almost cost herself her own life.

    Adding to the stress she was already suffering from, the sleeping passenger, who occupied the cabin behind hers, was snoring blatantly loud. It was so irritating that she thought that he was born to be a nuisance to her on this very day. She was beginning to regret the decision of sharing this carriage with him.

    He was the very reason for the hold up of this coach¡¯s departure. And now, he had successfully ruined her peaceful travel back to Cephel.

    ¡°Please! Stop!¡±

    A male voice came from the side. It was different from the voice of their driver, and the shameless snoring irksomely continued, so she assumed it came from outside.

    Curiously, she looked down to see where the voice came from. She knew that it was intermittent for any human to be walking in this forest. However, right there, a man was scampering by the side of their carriage, pleading about something.

    It was common knowledge to anyone that vaguras were rampant in this area, and encountering one meant meeting your demise. So it¡¯s a complete surprise to see someone in this place, unarmed and wearing a tattered unusual attire.

    ¡°My friend is standing up ahead! Please stop!¡± came out his plea.

    He jogged hard as he could to keep up with their speed but a mere human could not keep up with an oyomu.

    You and your friend are fools. The damsel thought wryly. An oyomu can¡¯t be stopped that easily.

    Her annoyance was at its peak, as if this was the most annoying day in her life. All she wanted was a peaceful trip towards Aquilla and back to Cephel, yet another commotion rose for her unattained quiet travel.

    Her chauffer had told the man that what he was requesting was nigh impossible. In the end, the man was not able to do anything but shout at his friend, ¡°Yana, run away!¡±

    Losing her interest to the man and to the situation outside, the damsel turned away from the window and looked at what she got from Aquilla for her birthday. It was a wooden flute. On its body her name was embedded in a cursive manner.

    Letting out a long sigh, she muttered, ¡°It is not everyday for me to get out of Cephel, however this day had turned to be an unpleasant one.¡±

    Her original plan was to shop for a dress made from Aquilla. The dress is for an upcoming party, but unfortunately it turned out that acquiring a dress had become a fatal task. The one who was at fault the vaguras who happened to launch an all-out raid on the city today.

    She had been looking forward to this day, for this was the first time she would see the bastion of Aquilla and the rich forests along the way.

    It was not that forests were not existing in Cephel, in fact it is a city built by trees. Adoring the beauty of nature was something the elves had inscribed on her and as a human who grew up with them, she could not hold back her excitement to see life of different creatures in various places.

    Another sigh came out from the damsel¡¯s pretty lips, ¡°If only these people could appreciate their lives more.¡± She was obviously referring to the pair of people up ahead, who were throwing their lives by prostrating themselves right in front of a rushing oyomu¡¯s path.

    It was then the carriage shook wildly. At the same time, a grunting sound came from the oyomu.

    The quake almost threw her off her seat. If she had not get hold of the rim of the window, there was also a high chance that she could have been thrown off the carriage itself.

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    After checking on herself for any small injuries, in which there was none, the damsel looked outside again and noticed that they had stopped.

    Unbelievable, she thought as she opened the door of her cabin and climbed down the carriage steps. The height from the flooring of the carriage was enough to give someone if they fail their landing.

    In the middle of her descent, a voice boomed above her. ¡°What happened? Why did we stop?¡±

    Instead of a courteous reply, she irately scowled at the stout middle-aged man who was bending over his window, staring down at her.

    "You could just go back to your slumber.¡± She coldly said as if her words carry a curse.

    ¡°What did you say, young lass?¡± the man bellowed.

    She completely disregarded the fuming man and continued climbing down. When she safely set her foot on the dirt road, she impulsively ran towards the two young people who were standing right in front of the oyomu.

    There she saw a woman with short black hair petting the creature¡¯s head, while the other one was the man she saw earlier.

    ¡°What were you thinking?!¡± The damsel heard the man yelling as she gets closer. ¡°You almost got stepped on by this beast!¡±

    The oyomu puffed its breath as if it understood the man had uttered a word and it struck the wrong chord.

    The short-haired woman lightly chuckled in response to her companion. ¡°I¡¯m fine and don¡¯t call her like that. She doesn¡¯t like it.¡±

    ¡°Then what am I going to call it?¡± the man asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s an oyomu. You haven¡¯t seen one yet?¡± the damsel answered him.

    She stepped closer to the two strangers who were shaking their head. Her mood had slightly changed as her insatiable hunger for knowledge grew inside her.

    ¡°Then how did you know this was a female?¡± The damsel asked the short-haired woman as she stroke the side of the oyomu¡¯s head. Fumbling her hand through its as-white-as-snow fur, caressing the creature¡¯s cheeks.

    The short-haired woman pursed her lips. ¡°I don¡¯t really know. I just knew it. By the way, my name is Yana,¡± she introduced herself and her companion. ¡°Umm¡­ Sorry for interrupting your journey but we really need a ride to uh¡­ anywhere.¡±

    ¡°Well, we already stopped so it would be inappropriate to ignore your request,¡± said by the damsel, but a disagreement was voiced out by the obese man who had followed her.

    ¡°He-hey! What are you thinking, you broad? You don¡¯t even know them and you¡¯re letting them travel with us.¡±

    This man. ¡°I do not even know you either, do I?¡± With this, she started to vent all of her anger right at the source of it; the complaining man.

    ¡°And besides, I¡¯m letting them in my cabin, not yours. So, why are you complaining like you own my carriage? Would you like me to remind you how pitiful you are when you pleaded to let you in? If you would continue to complain, I would gladly leave you here.¡±

    Not waiting for an answer, the damsel turned to her driver and said, ¡°I will let them in.¡±

    The young driver wordlessly nodded in response. Meanwhile the old man was whispering curses under his breath as he started to go back to the carriage.

    Sighing, the damsel looked back to the pair she recently got acquainted with.

    ¡°Sorry about that. Oh! How improper of me! I have not introduced myself yet. My name is Olivia Seria, it is a pleasure to meet you.¡±

 Chapter Seven: First Impressions

    Being granted with her request, Yana was thankful from the bottom of her heart. She really thought that she and Jiro were bound to travel an unknown distance on foot.

    Both of them were now sitting opposite to their gracious savior. Yana in front of Olivia, and Jiro sitting across a flute and a small brown pouch bag laying above the cushioned seat.

    Their savior, the damsel of the carriage, is a beautiful young maiden with blonde hair, which was tied into a bun. Near her ears, strands of fashionably curled hair were freely dangling. Her eyes were a pair of exquisite emeralds. Her nose is small and perfectly fit the shape of her face.

    In contrast to her beauty her attire was a simple white and brown long-sleeved dress. The dress reminded Yana of the dresses worn by Cinderella when she was serving her step-mother and step-sisters, except that what Olivia was wearing was not tattered and untidy. It was plainly simple.

    As for where they were now, the interior of the carriage appeared to be first-class in design. The paneled wall was draped with red silk-like paddings with black threads crisscrossing over it, in which formed a large diamonds of rubies. Above, the wooden ceiling had an elegant carving of patterns, and at the center of it, a white bulb flower was hanging in the air.

    Sinking deep on her seat, Yana could not stop her sigh. Sleeping in a seated posture did not help her aching body to relax last night and they had to walk again first thing in the morning so she had not taken a real rest yet. Their seats were comfortably soft and completely on par with the theme of this small room. If they room had not been small and the notion of moving was not evident, Yana would believe that they were inside a luxury room in a five-star hotel.

    At first, their travel started slow and gradually became a fast one. Olivia had explained that an oyomu could not reach its top speed instantly.

    ¡°It is the exact same behavior when you want to stop an oyomu. It would not stop the moment you want to stop it. It needs to decelerate first before it fully stop.¡± Olivia flashed a smile charmingly. ¡°That is why I am curious. How did you stop our oyomu?¡±

    Olivia was speaking a different language but Yana understood her perfectly. It was not really a surprising fact, she had already read a lot of light novel series and witnessed this clich¨¦ a lot of times where the summoned have the capability to understand the language of the world he was summoned to. She had seen enough of it that she had already came up with the term ¡®Babel phenomenon¡¯ to name it.

    Yana thought that the particular phenomenon was simply for the sole convenience of the writer, but in this circumstance of her playing the role of the summoned one right at this moment, the thing she thought of as a usual plot-hole had become very helpful.

    Thankful for the convenient ability, she replied, ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain, but we kind of understood each other. And then there was¡­¡±

    Her voice trailed off, thinking of that scene in her mind. Should she tell her about it?

    ¡°What?¡± Olivia urged Yana to continue but Yana simply shook her head. Olivia pondered about it for a bit and nodded then changed their topic. ¡°What were you doing here in the middle of the forest? Don¡¯t you know how dangerous this place is?¡±

    This time Jiro spoke up. Reciting the story they had agreed upon last night. ¡°We lost our way here. Our boat sank when we were finding our way towards uh¡­¡± He glance at Yana for assistance.

    ¡°We lost our way to-towards uh¡­ uh¡­¡± She was searching for a name of a place but what she could say at this time. Tokyo? Beijing? Paris? New York?  Those places do not exist here!

    ¡°Aquilla?¡± Olivia filled in for her. Curiosity could be seen in her eyes, which Yana took noted of.

    ¡°This carriage and the carriages you had seen earlier came from there.¡± Olivia suddenly wore a melancholic expression. ¡°Maybe, by now, everything is already destroyed by the vaguras.¡±

    ¡°Vaguras?¡± Yana repeated in a serious tone.

    Olivia took Yana¡¯s expression as concern, which was not. It was Yana¡¯s interest on the topic that painted seriousness in her face. Everything she could get from Olivia will help her to adapt in this foreign world, so she was listening attentively to what Olivia was telling her.

    ¡°Yes, vaguras. Those beasts with inhuman strength and knowledge of war. Legends say they were the descendants of Vega, one of the three powerful countries in this continent in ancient time. They were known as a barbaric country, continuously sieging territories until they end up to fight the peaceful Altari which resulted to the biggest war in Corona¡¯s history. After that war, Queen Ruth, the queen of Daneb, casted a curse on the whole race of Vega as their punishment, thus led to the existence of vaguras.¡± Olivia found herself ecstatic about her lecture that she felt embarrassed to her guests. ¡°Oh¡­ I have been babbling about a lot of things. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Yana shook her head and instead thanked Olivia in return, adding, ¡°I think, I already saw one but it could be different to what you were referring.¡±

    ¡°Describe it to me then.¡± Olivia offered for a confirmation.

    ¡°If you say so. Uhm¡­ It has a bulky body, probably as tall as me. Its body was covered with brown fur¡­ Sharp rows of teeth, it was also wearing a wooden armor.¡± Yana intentionally avoided to give clear-cut descriptions such as, the creature¡¯s resemblance to a boar for she does not know if there were any boars nor pigs in this place.

    Olivia affirmatively nodded. ¡°Your description fits a vagura¡¯s physique. Probably, what you have seen was a scout or an exiled vagura. Reports says that these mountain forests became habitat to exiled vaguras that is why, it is a surprise for me to encounter someone in this place. Natives know that this area is not supposed to be trekked on.¡±

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    What Olivia had said was not a surprise to Yana since she had the experience that proves how dangerous this area is. She just smiled and uttered an unnecessary lie, ¡°Thankfully we did not come across to one.¡±

    Jiro probed a questioning look at her, which she ignored.

    Meanwhile, Olivia has her right eyebrow raised. ¡°Hm? Then, how did you know how a vagura looks like?¡±

    With this, Yana was caught off guard. She averted her eyes from Olivia¡¯s curious stare and she was not able to say anything as a form of reply.

    Stupid.

    ¡°I understand.¡± The words came from Olivia¡¯s mouth. She didn¡¯t state anything about what she understood but her eyes were on Yana, whose eyes were shifting from left and right and back to left. ¡°Rest assure, I would not push you to speak of everything, if you do not wish to.¡±

    Olivia found her guests to be an amusing pair of people. Their clothing was something she had never seen in books nor in real life before. Also, what the man named Jiro had said was an obvious lie. There¡¯s no way they looked like victims of shipwreck, their clothes might be in a rowdy shape but their bodies looked healthy on first sight.

    From where they had met each other, it would take the two of them five days¡¯ worth of walking to reach that point from the nearest shore. And judging from their actions earlier, they know nothing about the land of Corona so they would likely get lost in the forest and probably would not be able to reach that place because of hunger or meeting vaguras while wandering around. But they have encountered one. Olivia was sure of this, thus it piqued her curiosity even more.

    With what their host has said, Yana was ashamed of herself. What am I doing? I need all the help I could have now.

    Yana bowed her head down and apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for lying to you, after being in debt with your kindness, I had done such thing. But believe me, it¡¯s not that we don¡¯t trust you. It¡¯s just¡­ Our circumstances are hard to believe in.¡±

    Olivia simply replied to Yana. ¡°I will listen and decide for myself.¡±

    And so, Yana told her everything. About them, coming from a different world. About being chased by a vagura to their deaths. She spoke of everything except with what happened earlier with the oyomu. When she had finished telling all of the recent events, she saw Olivia¡¯s eyes glinting in excitement.

    ¡°A different world?¡± The thrill in her voice was hard not to notice. She looked like a kid who found a new toy after she woke up. ¡°Please, tell me more about it!¡±

    Both Yana and Jiro awkwardly smiled at her. Their expectation was way off the chart but this had turned to a positive side for them. At the very least, they had met someone who was kind enough to let them inside their personal vehicle.

    Yana¡¯s first impression to Olivia was that she was an affluent lady with prim-proper manners and short temper, but during the time they had talk about Earth and this world, she saw how much of a nerd Olivia was.

    Yana had learned a lot of things about Corona, the continent they were in. She also learned that the plausible cause of how they escaped the vagura is that they had safely reach past the border of its territory.

    Based on Olivia, exiled vaguras were usually found alone, owning a certain territory of where to hunt and they would stay there and respect others¡¯ territories. There were rare occasions that they were sighted by pair, it was assumed that they were a household of vagura, but no one has seen a young vagura so this was just a speculation of hunters and guards.

    Because of this exchange of information, both Yana and Olivia got to know each other better that they had chatted continuously and laughed heartily during their travel.

    Olivia also promised Yana to give her a tour in Cephel once they arrived, which Yana looked forward to.

    Jiro, who watched these two maidens talk like they were long-time friends who had not seen each other for a long, was silently listening to them. Smiling, but somehow, in his heart, the emptiness in him became a gaping hole and that pitch-black hole haunted him.

    ¡°What about you?¡± Olivia had turned to the only man in the cabin. ¡°You have been quiet for the whole time.¡±

    Yana also turned to Jiro, and the look on his face stung her heart.

    For he was wearing a crestfallen smile as he was staring at them. In his eyes, lingering envy could be seen. Envy for having memories to talk about.

    Surprised of the sudden attention, Jiro blinked repeatedly not sure of what to say, ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t have anything to tell you¡­¡± his voice faded off, not knowing how to address the damsel.

    ¡°Olivia. You can call me by my name.¡± And with concern she asked Jiro, ¡°What do you mean by not having anything to tell? Why would you say that?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ have no memories of our world.¡± He timidly answered, looking down on his knees.

    Olivia blinked repeatedly, digesting what she had heard. ¡°Oh¡­ I see¡­ I am sorry to hear that.¡±

    Both her sincerity and sympathy were genuine and for respecting his feelings, Olivia had decided to continue their travel in silence.

 Chapter Eight: Arriving at Cephel

    Their travel continued without any other commotion. However, the atmosphere inside the carriage had gone awkward for all of them.

    Yana wanted to ask more about this world, but she did not dare to do so. After seeing that face of his, she could not bring up any word out of her mouth. She could not even bear to look at him right now. She simply spent her time gazing at the rich forest and the horizon above it.

    Unlike Yana, Olivia was staring at Jiro¡¯s bent posture. His back was arched low, for his head was bowed down close to his knees. His forearms were resting on his thighs with his hands clasped together as if he was praying. She still could not believe his condition. It was the first time she heard of such thing. To lose one¡¯s memory had never happened in this world, not even once. She could clearly see his torment.

    Olivia honestly wanted to continue her conversation with Yana earlier. She had not felt such excitement for a long time. The last time was after she took hold of her first book. But she could set that aside for now. She had decided to help him get out of his misery.

    As for Jiro, he understood that they were considering his feelings and he was thankful for their concern, but this stillness in the air was not helping at all. He had said to them not to mind him. That he was fine with them talking, but the two ladies had not had a lively conversation again. As a result, he was blaming himself for this uncomfortable ambiance.

    ¡°We¡¯re slowing down.¡±

    It was Yana who has noticed.

    Olivia shifted her gaze from Jiro to Yana, notifying her, ¡°Then, we have arrived.¡±

    With that being said, Yana wordlessly stood up from her seat and anchored herself at the window, tightly holding onto its rim, to see what lies ahead the road.

    The gentle breeze, caused by them being in motion, blew her short hair amiably. The tickling touch of the cool wind lingered in her ear as she behold of what was in front of her.

    Cephel was very far from any human settlement Yana had in mind. Up ahead, there was no brick houses, nor anything close to something that resembled human habitation.

    Up ahead, a giant forest filled the horizon.

    The giant forest appeared to be a plateau from afar. Because, the trees of this titan forest were far larger, both in height and the reach of its branches, from the regular trees that Yana had seen from this world, and hers.

    But there was a single tree that stood out.

    That tree was so tall that Yana could see its branches from the distance. Also, based on Yana¡¯s opinion, the tree¡¯s canopy could cover an entire outdoor arena. And its treetop, though not abundant with leaves, could almost touch the clouds. This was how the lone tree literally stood out.

    ¡°Yana, what you are doing is dangerous,¡± Olivia sternly warned Yana like an elder sister does to her younger siblings.

    Yana obediently ejected herself out of the window back to her seat and cheerfully admired the scenery she had seen. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful! Jiro, you should see it too!¡±

    Jiro, who had been looking at her, simply smiled at her. Somehow her cheerfulness had lightened up his mood. If he could not regain his memories back, he could just make new ones, right?

    It is as simple as that. He chided himself for sulking earlier.

    Seeing the awkward atmosphere had vanished, Olivia beamed at them and said. ¡°Do not worry, Jiro. For I, Olivia Seria, shall aid the two of you in finding a way to regain your memories, and of course, a way for you to go back to your own world.¡±

    Yana had noticed the sudden formality in the damsel¡¯s voice and such formality is hard to decline, so she humbly accepted it, replying, ¡°We¡¯re already in debt from your kindness, but we¡¯ll gladly accept your help, Olivia. Thank you for everything.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much, Olivia. I¡¯ll do my best for me not to become a liability,¡± came Jiro¡¯s affirmation.

    With this, a seedling of friendship had been sown and it would grow into a wonderful relationship in the future.

    <hr />

    Upon entering the gigantic forest, everything had turned dark. Though they could still see each other inside, it was still undeniably dark outside that they could not see if something was there anymore.

    The newcomers, had also noticed the drop in temperature. The air had become colder, but it was not that cold for them to shiver uncontrollably.

    A little bit later, small glowing lights started to drift inside the carriage. All of these glowing lights were floating towards a certain direction. Yana stared at them enchanted be their beauty. The same goes with Jiro. Their stares followed them up to solve the question of where the dazzling lights were heading. And the answer to the question, was the flower above them.

    However, it was not the same flower. Earlier it was a simple white bulb flower, but now its petals had spread wide open and its filaments could be seen rooted at its core.

    It was then, Yana and Jiro noticed a new fragrant smell in the air.

    Seeing their amusing expressions, Olivia started to explain. ¡°That flower is called ¡®Lilia¡¯, one of the two nocturnal flowers here in Corona. They only bloom during the night and closes a few minutes after daybreak. It was said that this flower was brought to this world when it was given to a maiden by the moon goddess, Cyra herself. That maiden¡¯s name is Lilia. She was looking for her betrothed one whom she believed had got lost while hunting¡­ Oh, I started to babble about nonsense again.¡±

    Yana and Jiro smiled kindly at her and said that it was fine. ¡°After all, we need to learn everything about this world,¡± Yana added.

    And so Olivia continued narrating the legend and just at the time she had finished, their surroundings became bright and lively. Olivia knew very well what this means. They had reached the trading square of Cephel.

    The trading square of Cephel, was not in fact a square in shape but round. Right in the middle of this clear space, the tallest tree in this forest stood there like an obelisk, completely making this area as a rotunda for the oyomus and mich, a terrestrial avian that has a long slender neck and is being used to pull small carriages and for patrolling of the local guards.

    Being a place for merchants, hunters, travelers, and locals to be gathered here, this was a very busy place. Beneath the shade of the giant tree, tents of different sizes were put up as stalls of different goods. Some tents were for government offices, it can be easily distinguished with a white flag with a symbol of a sword with a ¡®lilia¡¯ on its handguard.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Their carriage finally pulled to a stop. The first one to descend was the middle-aged man from the other cabin and he left without thanking Olivia at all.

    Yana berated the man¡¯s impudent action while Olivia simply shrugged it off. ¡°He was not someone worth the time to talk to.¡± Olivia said.

    Their driver went down and open the door for Olivia because that was part of his work, Olivia went out first, followed by Yana. Both maidens were assisted by the driver in their descent. The last one to disembark from the carriage was Jiro.

    ¡°I will send the payment to your office later. Thank you for taking care of us.¡± Olivia took a couple of silver coins and gave it to their driver which he humbly took.

    The three of them started to walk away, but the driver called out at them, rather, one of them, ¡°Madam, if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡±

    Olivia completely thought that she was the one who was being called so she asked, ¡°Why? Do you have something to say?¡±

    The driver was happy about the fact that Olivia Seria, the most well-known bachelorette in Cephel, was casually having a conversation with him. If this event had happened before, he could say that he was the happiest man among all of the unmarried men in Cephel, but this day was different.

    On this day, he was able to witness something he only heard from his ancestors which he thought of as some fictitious folklore, but apparently, there was truth behind the passed-down stories. And he wanted to know this particular person who had done something that has not been done recently.

    He bowed and said apologetically, ¡°Oh! I humbly apologize, Lady Seria. I do not mean to confuse you. But, the person I am addressing is¡­¡± His gaze moved towards Yana who was staring back at him.

    ¡°Yana?¡± Olivia asked, turning her head to see the owner of the name she had uttered.

    ¡°Me?¡± Yana asked their driver pointing at herself.

    Astonishment was all over her face. It was not just her, all three of them were puzzled of why their driver wanted to speak with Yana.

    ¡°Will it take long?¡± she asked worriedly.

    The man shook his head in reply.

    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll hear what you have to say.¡±

    Yana apologized to Olivia for stalling her plans for the day, which was returned with a, ¡°I do not mind this delay. We are going to wait for you here.¡±

    Bowing, Yana left them with their driver ushering her near the oyomu. Without waiting a second, the man turned to face her and asked, ¡°How did you do that?¡±

    Yana blinked several times before she returned a question instead of a reply, ¡°Did what?¡±

    ¡°Stopping her,¡± the driver laid his hand on the head of his oyomu just below its small horn. ¡°What you had done is impossible for anyone. Do you have any idea about that?¡±

    His voice was whole and deep. The seriousness in his strong-looking face was emanating. Yana could feel his strong personality, but she could not see his reason of asking her about that. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just closed my eyes and she just stopped.¡±

    ¡°Did you say something during that time?¡±

    Yana shook her head. It was the truth she had not said any word that moment.

    ¡°Tell me, are you an Altarian?¡±

    ¡°Altarian?¡± Yana repeated the foreign word.

    Seeing the confusion in her face, the man understood that this woman has no idea of what was the meaning of the word. ¡°I see. I am sorry for holding you for long. I have nothing else to ask.¡±

    ¡°Then I have something to ask from you.¡± From that point, it was Yana who took over the conversation.

    <hr />

    Olivia was, as usual, curious of the shown interest of their driver on Yana. She was not adding colors to it. She was plainly curious of what they were talking about.

    ¡°What do think they are talking about?¡± Olivia asked, turning to Jiro who was standing beside her. Her mouth cracked into a smile immediately when she saw his face, making a different expression than the usual stoic one.

    Peeking closer to his face, Olivia asked another question, ¡°Are you jealous, Jiro?¡±

    With her face being close to him, his attention was completely taken away from Yana and the driver. He took a step back to at least make a distance between him and Olivia.

    This was the first time she had seen such expression from him so she was ecstatic from his response. Olivia stood straight and beamed happily at him.

    ¡°W-w-what did you say?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I asked if you are jealous.¡± Olivia plainly said still wearing a teasing smile.

    ¡°What am I supposed to feel if I¡¯m jealous?¡± Jiro inquired, back with the passive face.

    ¡°Boring.¡± Olivia sulkily said. The smile she vanished into thin air. ¡°Your response was so boring.¡±

    Despite that he could not understand what Olivia was saying, he was glad that she was treating him ¡®normally¡¯. Even though he does not really have any reference to base from, except the way she had talked to Yana, he believed that this was how Olivia normally treats people.

    However, the locals who were staring at them, knew very well that this Olivia Seria they were looking at now was different from the Olivia Seria they had seen before.

    It was the first time they had seen her smile like that and the way she talked to this man who was standing near her was very special. There were no single man in Cephel had talked to her, nor to stay near her for a long time.

    ¡°There should be something special about that man.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Otherwise, Lady Seria would not look at him for a whole minute.¡±

    ¡°Could it be that the Lady has found her fated one when she visited Aquilla?¡±

    Like this, rumors had started to spread across the whole town square. Meanwhile, the subject of the rumors remained oblivious of the rapidly spreading news.

 Chapter Nine: The Five Clans

    After her conversation with Hans had concluded, Yana returned to where Olivia and Jiro had been waiting for her. As expected, she was immediately welcomed by Olivia with a question.

    ¡°What were you two talking about?¡±

    Though she wanted to ask the same question back at them, Yana had decided to answer instead. ¡°He asked me how I stopped the oyomu.¡±

    ¡°What did you tell him?¡±

    ¡°I gave the same answer I gave you.¡±

    ¡°I see. Is that all?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then what took you long?¡±

    As they converse, they had started to walk towards the tents. Olivia was the one who was in the middle, Yana was left beside her and Jiro was a step behind on her right side.

    The ambiance of the crowded area was mixed of cheerfulness for the owner of the stalls and their customers, and relief for those who had escaped the havoc brought by vaguras.

    Yana had told to both of them of what she had asked from their driver, who introduced himself as Hans Radi. Yana had just a sudden interest on the oyomus so she asked for a job related in taking care of them. Hans was skeptic at first and after a few exchange of words, realizing that Yana would remain relentless, he said he was going to ask their clan head if Yana would be permitted to work along with them. He departed, leaving a word that he would be seeing her here tomorrow to relay either the approval or denial of her request.

    Olivia nodded her head with her usual ¡°I see¡± and started a new lecture.

    According to Olivia, there were certain industries in Cephel that only a definite clan run. The carriage rental was one of those industries. The laws of Cephel prohibited any other clan or person to mimic these services unless with the permission of the original clan providing the particular service. ¡°It is the same when they were going to take a worker outside of the clan. It is either they¡¯ll turn that worker into a clan member or make him take an oath of life.¡±

    ¡°Oath of life?¡± Yana repeated the unexpected group of words.

    ¡°An oath putting your life in it. If you break the oath, you will die.¡± Olivia flatly said and continued with her interrupted lecture. ¡°This is basically to provide a sustainable livelihood for the clans and at the same time to avoid disputes among them.¡±

    ¡°Then every product here is monopolized by a specific clan,¡± Jiro said joining the conversation.

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Olivia turned to him waving her index finger near her lips. ¡°As I said there are only a few of them and this market ¡ª is an open market,¡± she gestured her hand towards a stall. At the same time the owner of that stall immediately brought a food that looked like a barbecue from its appearance. ¡°Everyone, regardless of their clan, as long as they live here in Cephel could put up a business here. Of course, there are papers to be processed and provided that you are not doing something illicit, your business will remain operational as long as you wish. Also, the Military Order and the Hunter¡¯s Guild are open for anyone who wants to join.¡±

    Olivia gladly took the food and paid for it. She asked for two more sticks for her companions. The owner apologized for not being thoughtful and served the same food to Yana and Jiro reverently. Of course, Olivia was the one who paid for them.

    Learning about how businesses were being run here, Yana had an idea of putting up her own business in the future or in case her request of employment was denied, she could take that path immediately. It was the better option rather than joining the military or the Hunter¡¯s Guild, where their lives were potentially laid right into peril¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°The problem would be the capital to start with,¡± she unconsciously murmured aloud.

    ¡°Then I can lend you some,¡± Olivia offered after hearing Yana¡¯s mumbling.

    Realizing her thoughts had leaked out from her mouth, Yana waved her hands refuting Olivia¡¯s offer of assistance. ¡°We¡¯re in debt with you already. It will be too much if we will still rely on you for our source of income.¡±

    Olivia made an upset expression on her pretty face. Yana felt guilty about it, but she could not bring herself to accept Olivia¡¯s offer. It was not pride that was hindering her, but she just did not want to take advantage of Olivia¡¯s kindness and become reliant on her as they stay here.

    Olivia knew that Yana had no ill intent and she likes that about her. Olivia did not further insist her offer.

    ¡°But I have a condition.¡± Hesitating to say what her condition was, she was bashfully glancing at Yana. ¡°Let me be your friend.¡±

    Yana almost burst into laughter after hearing these words from Olivia. Yana, smiling warmly at Olivia, asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t we friends already?¡±

    They continued to walk around the town square. Checking on different stalls, trying out different foods, which Olivia gladly spent for.

    At first, Yana thought that where they were now, was Cephel in its entirety, but she was terribly mistaken with that. The town square was solely the business district of Cephel.

    The so-called town square was a junction of five wide roads, one of them was the one they had taken to get into this forest. If Yana would compare this place to a clock¡¯s face, that road represents eight. And if Yana would trace the other road¡¯s position in a counter-clockwise manner, the next roads would be four, two, twelve, and eleven.

    In between the roads that were far from each other, a platform was built from a height of twelve feet. Dried branches were used to serve as a railing to prevent someone falling from the tall height.

    There were two platforms in total, meaning two districts. The only access to these platforms were the two winding stairwells, adjoining at the middle.

    Atop the platforms, a number of houses were standing. Olivia stated that these were usually for those who does not belong to a clan or staying at Cephel for an indefinite time. While those who belonged to a clan, lived in their allocated land.

    There were five major clans in Cephel and each have their own respective lands.

    First, the Radi who owns the southeast. The land that they own was a vast field, perfect for their profession as farmers and taking care of oyomus.

    The next clan would be Ophilia, who held possession of the eastern lands. Like the Radi¡¯s, the Ophilia¡¯s land is good for farming, but rather producing food crops, they cultivate crops for dressmaking and furniture. Because of this, they were known as the craftsmen of Cephel.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    The most prominent clan in Cephel was the Rassialaire, for they possessed the northern lands of Cephel where the Adiara River runs. The Adiara River was the nearest body of fresh water in Cephel, therefore it was the only source of water for the whole Cephel. The Rassialaire were popular for their bathhouses and their drinking pubs, making the Rassialaire known as the night district of Cephel.

    ¡°The remaining two clans are different from the three that I had mentioned, as they were the Elven clans.¡±

    One of these clans was the irreplaceable clan of Lucida, who was occupying the northeastern part of Cephel. That particular part of Cephel was a forest area, rich in medicinal herbs, and with their medical knowledge, the clan of Lucida served as the doctors of Cephel.

    ¡°How about the last clan?¡± Yana asked.

    ¡°They are the one who owns this entire forest. They are naturally strong and serves as the peacekeeper all throughout the domain of Cephel. The clan that descended from the ancient country of Daneb. The clan where I belong to, the clan of Seria.¡±

    ¡°W-w-wait!¡± Yana exclaimed in surprise. She had stopped walking since she was not expecting Olivia¡¯s revelation and it took her time to digest what she had just heard. ¡°Y-y-you own this forest?¡±

    Olivia laughed at Yana¡¯s reaction. In turn, Yana sought support from Jiro, but he too was smiling at her. ¡°You also knew about it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Olivia told me about it earlier while you¡¯re away.¡±

    Turning back to Olivia, Yana asked, ¡°B-but, you don¡¯t look like an elf to me.¡±

    It was the truth for Yana, Olivia does not have a pair of pointy ears to call her an elf, unless an elf¡¯s appearance was different in this world.

    ¡°Because, I¡¯m not. I was adopted as the daughter of Queen Maia when I was a child.¡±

    Yana took a deep breath just to remain calm. She had a feeling the family Olivia came from was rich, but she had not thought, not even once, that Olivia was a royalty here.

    Was that the main reason for the attention they had garnered as they walked on the pseudo-streets of this market? Yana completely thought it was their weird wardrobe that caused the unusual stares, but apparently there was another reason for it and that was; they were walking along with their Princess.

    ¡°Now, I get to learn you¡¯re the Princess of this country. Are there something else I need to know?¡± she asked both Jiro and Olivia.

    Olivia shook her head and murmured, ¡°Now that I have mentioned Mother¡¯s name, I should head to her chambers and pay respect for my arrival.¡±

    From Olivia¡¯s tone, Yana had a bad premonition that she quickly said, ¡°Th-then, we¡¯ll wait for you here.¡±

    Flashing a mischievous smile, Olivia laid the words Yana does not want to hear, ¡°No, I would not leave you behind. I want to introduce both of you to Mother.¡±

    <hr />

    Right inside the main hall of the house of Seria, right at her throne, the Queen of Cephel had summoned for her head maid to inquire about what was happening below them. The busyness of the trading square was different from its usual liveliness, thus the reason for the summon from the Queen.

    Bowing her head, the maid whose name was Adelaide reported, ¡°Apparently, Your Highness, the stronghold of Aquilla had fallen to the vaguras. Refugees had sought for the protection of Cephel.¡±

    Hearing this, the Queen laid her cheek on her right knuckle and commented, ¡°That was unprecedented. I guess I should head down later and welcome them to our lands. How about Olivia? Has she returned already?¡±

    With her head still bowed down, Adelaide answered, ¡°Lady Seria has safely arrived in Cephel¡­

    Speaking of Your Highness¡¯s daughter, there are rumors currently spreading about her meeting her ¡®fated one¡¯.¡±

    Upon hearing this, the expression on Queen Maia¡¯s face had changed from a ¡®formal¡¯ one to an ¡®excited¡¯ one since she had never foreseen this day to come.

    Olivia had always been a reserved person. She rarely interacted with people and spent most of her time reading books and listening to the stories of the elders of Seria back when she was a child. In fact, that was where Maia had first met her.

    Back then, Olivia was known simply as the ¡®little girl¡¯ for she did not know her own name. The name Olivia she was using now came from the elders who had treated her kindly and accepted her as their own.

    Maia had taken custody of Olivia after the elders had decided about it. They said it would be for the good of the two; for Maia, to experience having a child to take care of and; for Olivia to have a mother figure as she grows up.

    Maia was not against it since she knew she would never bear any child in her womb and she had already grown affection towards the child after seeing her multiple times. As for Olivia, for a child of her age, was understanding. She followed the decision of the elders without any complaints. This was how their relationship as mother and daughter had started.

    Another maid arrived inside the room, announcing, ¡°My Highness, Lady Olivia has come to speak to you.¡±

    Behind this particular maid, followed three young people. One was Olivia, as for the other two, Maia would know later. She welcomed her foster daughter with an embrace, then held her hand to hers.

    ¡°I heard some news. Is it true?¡± the Queen asked.

    Not knowing what her mother was talking about, Olivia blinked her eyes questioningly and asked, ¡°News? About what?¡±

    ¡°About you, meeting your fated one. Is it true?¡± The shock on Olivia¡¯s face slightly erased the smile on Maia¡¯s face. ¡°I-I see. I am sorry, my dear. What is it that you want to talk with?¡±

    Letting go of the Queen¡¯s hand, Olivia gestured Yana and Jiro to come closer. ¡°Mother, I would like to introduce my friends.¡±

    ¡°Friends?¡± The word sent Maia¡¯s lips to curve back into a smile. This was the first time Olivia had uttered that word, and it was relieving for Maia.

    Her eyes darted towards the two young pair. Both were wearing weird clothes and were standing stiffly on their feet. ¡°Relax,¡± she kindly said. ¡°Olivia¡¯s guests are my own guests.¡±

    Giving out orders to Adelaide and the other maid, Maia had led the three youths to a dining hall for a sumptuous meal.