Back to the Beginning

As the sound of soldiers' approaching footsteps grew louder in the stairwell, their hearts pounded with fear. The door they desperately tried to open seemed impossibly stuck.

"Are we going to die here?!" Alex exclaimed in panic.

"Not today! I will kill th… Wait, where's my dagger? Damn! It must still be in the alley," the woman said, frustration evident in her voice.

"Even if you had the dagger, we wouldn't stand a chance against them!" Carmella interjected.

"Everyone, just calm down! There's nothing to be afraid of if we die," Dr. Apgar said.

"But we are still young, Doctor! There are so many things I want to do that haven't been done yet!" Carmella said, her voice trembling with emotion.

"I won't give up! I will keep trying to open this door!" Vermilion declared, her determination unwavering.

Finally, the key in Vermilion's hand turned, and they rushed through the door without a second thought. Vermilion supported the injured woman and quickly locked the door behind them.

"Where are we going to… hide…???" Vermilion asked, puzzled.

"Ermm… where are we…?" Carmella inquired, equally confused.

After passing through the door, they found themselves in a suburban area, a stark contrast to the familiar rooftop they expected. To their surprise, the door they had just exited now led to a dilapidated wooden house.

They couldn't believe what they were witnessing, left utterly speechless. Vermilion went to open the door of the wooden house, but Carmella immediately stopped her.

"Don't open it! What if the soldiers are behind the door?!"

Vermilion nodded, pressing her ear against the door to listen for any approaching soldiers. But all she heard was silence.

"I didn't hear anything behind the door… it's very quiet…"

"Does that mean we've escaped a catastrophe?" Alex asked, hope glimmering in his eyes.

"Maybe, but the problem right now is, where the hell are we??? Doctor, you haven't said a word since just now, what's wrong?" Carmella asked, noticing Dr. Apgar's unusual silence.

"I just… feel a bit familiar with this place, but I can't seem to recall since I've traveled to so many places before…"

"Actually, I have the same feeling... ?!! Wait, everyone, be silent!" Vermilion said abruptly.

Everyone looked at Vermilion, wondering what she was trying to do. She closed her eyes and focused on listening intently. After a while, she opened her eyes with a smile, a glimmer of excitement on her face.

"I heard it! Follow me! This way!"

"What did you hear?! I concentrated, but I didn't hear anything," the woman asked.

"It's a waterfall! And I think it's the same waterfall I went to before in the village."

"Village… Oh! You're right! It's the village where I met you! I remember that wooden house; it was used for storage by those villagers!" Dr. Apgar recalled.

"Village? What village are you two talking about?" Carmella asked, bewildered.

"It's the place where I met this weird girl."

"Then, that means… we are not in Luthernza?!!"

"Yes, this place is very near to the border with Jervalae."

"This doesn't make any sense… Vermilion! You were the one who opened the door just now, right? Didn't you cast some magic? Like last night when you suddenly disappeared?!"

"I really have no idea at all…"

'Seems like I was right; I can vaguely feel that she is not an ordinary person…' the woman thought.

"Superpower?! That is amazing!" Dr. Apgar said.

"Wow! I never thought you were such an incredible girl! Hehehe." Alex surprised.

"Come on! She has unexplained power; how could you both still be so excited about it?!" Carmella said, exasperated.

"I thought you always said we must learn to accept reality and you mention it to the children every time," Dr. Apgar teased.

"I just don't want them to suffer from loss. These two are completely different things."

"Children? What children are you two talking about?" Vermilion asked curiously.

"Oh! I haven't told her about it, Doctor. Should we tell her?"

"I think we should wait until the right time. Now doesn't seem like the right time."

"It's fine; I believe Carmella will tell me everything someday."

"Yes, I will! But what should we do now?"

"If we open that door again, will we be able to return to our home?" Alex asked.

"I think maybe we can give it a try. Vermilion, go and try it again." Dr. Apgar suggested.

"Alright, I'll try it now."

Vermilion approached the door, which looked exactly the same as the one on the rooftop. After confirming that there was no movement behind the door, she carefully inserted the key into the keyhole. Everyone looked at her expectantly, hoping for another miracle. She took a deep breath and opened the door, and they all peered inside.

"It's an empty living room… So, no more miracles," Alex said with disappointment.

"So how do we go back to Luthernza from here? I have no money with me," Carmella said.

"I think it's dangerous to go back to Luthernza for now. We should try to monitor the situation and the soldiers' movements before we go back," Dr. Apgar suggested.

"That means we have to stay in the village for now?" Vermilion asked.

"Yes, I believe that's the best option we have. Besides, we have an injured companion who can barely walk. Let's stay in the village for a few days and see how things unfold."

"Alright then."

They walked through the deserted village, finding no sign of any inhabitants. Knocking on doors yielded no response. Eventually, they followed Dr. Apgar to the little house where she had stayed, while Alex searched for food outside.

"So, this is the village of the exiles you mentioned to me before, right?" Carmella asked.

"Yes, but they had all moved on the day Vermilion and I arrived at Luthernza."

"Dr. Apgar, I saw the news… they were all…" Vermilion's face saddened.

"I saw it too, what a tragedy…"

"So, the villagers here have already... No wonder you were so sad that day," Carmella empathized.

"Hey lady, what's wrong with you? You always had a fierce face since last night when I met you, but now you look sad all of a sudden?" Dr. Apgar questioned the woman.

"None of your business…" The woman replied coldly.

"Is this your attitude towards your benefactors?"

The woman ignored them, keeping silent.

"Hey! I found some canned food left in the other house!" Alex returned.

"Great! We haven't had breakfast yet," Carmella said.

They opened the canned food and heated it up, eating hungrily.

"How is it, Vermilion? I've never prepared canned food before," Carmella asked.

"You always prepared those plain and boring toast for us. Even the canned food tastes better!" Alex chimed in.

"To be honest, I still think Carmella's toast tastes better."

"Really?! I always make those toasts all by myself. Finally, my hard work paid off."

"Seriously? I think the canned food is way better than her toast."

"Well, if you don't like it, I will not prepare it for you from now on."

"Come on, I'm just joking. Hehehe."

"I really like her toast, I would even like to learn from Carmella if she is willing to teach me!"

"Sure! Once we get back home, I will teach you right away!"

After finishing their meal, Dr. Apgar and Alex went to a nearby town to gather information about the situation in Luthernza, while the rest stayed in the village to take care of the injured woman.

As the evening approached, Dr. Apgar and Alex returned with dinner.

"Hi! We're back. Did you miss us?" Alex joked.

"Not at all," Carmella replied teasingly.

"You are so cold…"

"Dr. Apgar, how is the situation in Luthernza?" Vermilion inquired.

"Some people say that the security there is very strict now. I don't think we can go back in a few days. By the way, I was planning to travel to a nearby city. Alex, you have to come with me since the situation is getting worse," Dr. Apgar said.

"Okay! When do you intend to go?"

"Tomorrow night."

"Got it."

"It's almost night; you all better be on your guard even though we're out in the countryside. Stay alert. Carmella, you're staying with me in my room tonight. Alex, feel free to sleep in the living room. Vermilion, take care of the troublemaker."

"Okay!"

As night fell, they were all a little tired and went to bed. Vermilion sat on the bed, lost in thought about the series of unexplainable phenomena. The woman couldn't sleep either, and she observed Vermilion sitting there.

"Hey you!" The woman called.

"Whooo! Sorry, I thought you had fallen asleep."

"Aren't you tired? You have been carrying me around all day."

"I am tired, but there's so much going through my mind."

"Same here… What's your full name again?"

"Oh, ermm… Vermilion Yeleona."

"Vermilion… Yeleona…"

"How about you? I haven't asked your name yet…"

The woman fell silent for a moment before she continued asking her questions.

"Why did you want to help me? I almost killed you when we met that day."

"You have killed many soldiers, but not innocent people. I believe there must be a reason behind it, and I want to know about it. That's why I tried to save you."

"I see…"

"But I guess you won't tell me. That's fine; I won't force you to..."

"Ayukawa." The woman interrupted.

"Huh? What?"

"Ayukawa. That's my surname… I came from another continent."

"Oh! I see! Nice to meet ya…"

"Hmm… Obviously, you are not her…"

"Her? Who?"

"Nothing… I need to sleep right now."

"Al… alright! Goodnight…"

Meanwhile, both Carmella and Dr. Apgar were still awake.

"So, Vermilion is from the village on the mountain here?" Carmella asked.

"It seems that way, but there's something strange about her... I'm convinced she's not an ordinary person, one hundred percent sure," Dr. Apgar confessed.

"Because of her power?"

"Not only because of her power, even her whole existence is a mystery. I actually visited the village on the mountain with Alex. You know what we saw?"

"What did you see?"

"There was nothing there; the village had completely vanished. However, we did find some wreckage of tanks. No one knows what happened that night, only she knows, but sadly, she can't remember anything."

"So, do you mean she came from a village that doesn't exist?"

"I'm not sure, but I am very sure there was a village there. I saw it with my own eyes before, but I never got to visit. How come the whole village just vanished…"

"Yeah? But it doesn't matter anymore. Anyway, she's a good kid and is my dear sister now, and I totally don't mind who she is. To me, she is no different from ordinary people, and she is strong and kind."

"It seems that I made the right choice in handing her over to you."

"Of course!"