4 Departure

The girl immersed herself in the joy of reading the storybooks, learning words at an unusually fast pace despite having no one to guide her. She seemed to hear 'voices' from the books themselves. She read until sunset, but as the sky grew darker, the haunting scenes from the devastated village flashed in her mind. Frightened, she ran back to the village.

Upon her return, the girl sensed that something was amiss in the village. Many adults were comforting their children. The lady spotted the girl and approached her.

"Where have you been? I was worried about you," the lady asked.

"Waterfall," the girl replied, speaking for the very first time.

"I see. Did you know that we're all going to relocate tomorrow?"

The girl nodded.

"Unfortunately, you won't be able to join us anymore."

"Why?" the girl questioned.

The lady struggled to find the words and remained silent. The village head approached them.

"Our journey is going to be extremely dangerous. I can't risk dragging an outsider with us. But no need to worry, we won't leave you alone here. You'll go to the city with Dr. Apgar as I told you this morning." 

"I suppose that's the best way we can help her..." the lady added.

"Yeah..."

At that moment, Dr. Apgar returned to the village.

"Hmm? Are You all leaving?" Dr. Apgar asked.

"Yes, we're leaving tomorrow."

"Have you decided where you're going to move?"

"Not yet, but probably north, trying to sneak across the border into Jervalae."

"I suppose that's the only way since the city is located in the south. Forget my silly question."

"Could you take this girl with you, Doctor?" the village head requested.

Dr. Apgar stared at the girl and sighed.

"Do I have a choice?"

"I suppose not. Forget my silly question."

They both laughed together, concluding their conversation. Dr. Apgar brought the girl back to her house to pack her belongings.

"Would you mind helping me pack all this stuff?" Dr. Apgar asked.

"No problem, let me lend you a hand."

"Finally, you've said something. I thought you would remain silent for the rest of your life. I haven't properly introduced myself. My name is Hallie Apgar. Nice to meet you. What's your name, girl?"

"Name? I don't have one..."

"So, you don't have a name either?"

"Either...?"

"Most villagers here live without names, including the village head. You should give yourself a name since we're going to the city tomorrow."

The girl looked around and pondered about a name. She noticed the storybooks she was holding. One of them had the title "The Adventure of Vermilion," and she stared at the book's title.

"Ver...milli...on."

"What did you say?"

"My name... Vermilion."

"Vermilion?"

"Yes, my name is Vermilion..."

"Vermilion... I see, interesting."

While they were having their conversation, the village head stopped by outside their house.

"Doctor, are you inside?" he asked, knocking on the door.

"Yes, what's the matter?"

"I'm looking for the girl."

"Vermilion! The head is looking for you."

Vermilion walked slowly out of the house and greeted the head.

"Are you... looking for me?"

"Yes, I just wanted to give you something, but I'm not sure if they'll suit you or not..."

"What is it...?"

"Here, these are dresses that belonged to my daughter. You can take them with you if you want."

"Dresses... from your daughter?"

"Yes, but she can't wear them anymore..." the head said, his voice soft and tinged with sadness.

Vermilion gratefully accepted the dresses, even though they were a bit long for her. She really liked them.

"Thank you!"

"Farewell, girl, and farewell, Doctor. I hope we might see each other again in the future."

The head returned to his home, and Vermilion continued to help Dr. Apgar pack her things. She put the dresses and storybooks into a suitcase given by the doctor. They went to sleep for the last time in the village.

The next morning, Dr. Apgar took Vermilion and headed to the nearest train station. The other villagers also began moving to their next destination. Along the way, the security had tightened, and soldiers were patrolling.

Vermilion felt a little afraid of them and kept her gaze fixed on the ground as they made their way to the train station. She could barely hear the soldiers discussing the recent attacks on a nearby village.

"Dr. Apgar, are we really going to the city?"

"Yes, didn't you know? What's wrong?"

"City... what city?"

"Luthernza, the second largest city in the southern part of this country."

"This country?"

"Yes, we're currently in this country, Kothern."

"Kothern..."

"The train is coming. Let's get ready to board."

They boarded the train, and Vermilion departed with a mix of anxiety and anticipation in her heart.