Chapter 11

As I entered my room, a wave of nausea washed over me, my body twisting uncomfortably. The food I ate was completely edible, but every fiber of my being seemed to fight against it. this feeling began when I took the first bite, but for some reason, I finished the entire dish. 

My heart felt heavy, and I could only think about my sister. That wave of tranquility that washed over me when I was around the little girl had disappeared when we said our goodbyes for the day, and now I was stuck with the consequences.

When I fell to my knees, everything came out in a violent expulsion. It was a mixture of the food I had recently eaten and the acidic contents of my stomach. 

'You should eat some as well. Isn't it good?' Every word, every connection, every little thing that reminded me of her brought back the haunting memories of her death, their deaths. 

With my mouth hanging open, I leaned over the pool of bodily fluids, while still feeling the revolting texture as chunks and saliva dripped out. I felt a void inside me as if all emotions had been drained away. The repulsive sensation inside my body was gone, but a sour taste lingered on my tongue. I spent some time continuously spitting out my saliva before finally getting up. I nonchalantly ignore the problem on the floor and eagerly crawl into bed, relishing the warmth of the blankets. If there was a moment when I felt the most serene, it was during my sleep. 

As time passed by, the days seemed to blur together. During this time, I found solace in the confines of my room, seeking refuge from the outside world as I grappled with all my feelings. There were rare occasions when I left my room to satisfy my hunger, but the outcome was always underwhelming. Alone, I could barely stomach the dish that reappeared every time, but when she was next to me, I struggled through it.

A mixed feeling of joy and sadness filled me every time she was around, like my heart was dancing and breaking all at once. She showed me a kindness that lifted my world, but along with it I sensed a silent plea for someone to do the same for her, but I'm unable to fulfill that longing. 

When I stood up, I stared at the floor. Over the past few days, I had smothered it with my bodily fluids, yet whenever I woke up it was so clean that it seemed none of it ever happened.

I pushed open the door, and the sound of chatter filled my ears as I made my way to have my last meal. Due to yesterday, my gaze regained a flicker of vitality, as if by some miracle, I managed to not vomit everything back out.

As I took another step down and arrived on the ground floor. While making my way towards the table, my focus shifted to a moving figure on my left, catching my attention. The conductor slowly made his way towards the head of the table, his confident steps echoing in the hall. 

With a resounding clap of his hands, the sound reverberated through the entire passage, instantly capturing the attention of everyone. "Now, now why don't all of you slackers come out of your rooms."After waiting for a few seconds, a handful of individuals emerged from their rooms. 

Despite his instructions yesterday, there were still some individuals who didn't seem to heed his advice, refusing to leave their rooms at the designated time. Sighing, the sound of doors slamming open echoed through the hallway, followed by the startled cries of people being forcibly ejected from their rooms by an unseen power. Even while he was doing this, his face remained adorned with a constant smile.

Similar to me, a crowd of individuals had vacated their rooms ahead of time and were now gathered around the table, eagerly waiting for their meal to arrive, but nothing was coming.

"The day has come for all of you to bid farewell to this hall and embrace the new place you'll soon call home." As he spoke, the giant gate behind him creaked open, revealing what lay beyond.

"If everyone could make their way through the gate, I'll be able to send all of you on your way. For those who were waiting for food, all necessities will be provided to you when you arrive in Pilantrop."

The crowd assembled in front of the conductor, gazing into the mysterious unknown ahead. Almost everyone had seen people coming and going through that vast whiteness, yet none seemed to possess the confidence to follow suit.

"I hope you enjoyed your stay." Bowing slightly, he extends his right arm and gestures towards what lies behind him. I, along with a crowd, walked past him and through the gate. 

Straightening his back, he glanced at the people who had chosen not to follow us. "I'm sure everyone waiting on the other side of the gate can hardly contain their excitement, curious to find out what awaits them. Since you wouldn't want to waste everyone's time, why don't you follow them?" Though he spoke politely, his true feelings were clear.

"Is it safe?" 

Upon hearing these words, the conductor let out a sigh, though he maintained a smile and nodded in response. "Of course."

Nervously glancing at each other, the group walked past him. As everyone gathered on the other side, the gate slowly started to close.

"What's going on?" As the doors started to obstruct his image, people couldn't help but watch the back of the conductor disappear. Anxiety gripped everyone, as they didn't know what was going to happen. 

"I shouldn't have trusted him." A man sprinted back towards the conductor.

With a swift motion, the conductor raised his arm and snapped his finger. Underneath our feet, blue circles materialized, matching our width. Their blinding light overwhelmed our sight, momentarily plunging us into darkness.

As our sight returned, we found ourselves standing on a road amid a vast grassy plain. Before us stood a town, its structures crafted from solid stone and gleaming steel. In addition, there was a group of individuals donning steampunk-inspired attire. 

Given the conductor's appearance, it was only natural for us to expect that the people at our destination would be similar to him, yet all of them were human. people who looked no different from us.

"Greetings, humans from another world. I am Sir Daniel Rokbas, and you'll be in my care for the time being." Daniel stood at the front of the soldiers with a stern and cold demeanor. He held himself high like a dignified person and his clothes represented this. 

Attached to Daniel's clothes was a badge. From a distance, it appeared to be two tiny gears interlocked with each other, with the minute and hour hands positioned in contrasting directions. 

"Alright, we have some important tasks ahead, so I don't want anyone to stray off on their own. Once we're done, feel free to explore the town, grab a bite to eat, or engage in any other activities, alright?"

A man stood out from the crowd as he raised his hand. "Sir." 

With a piercing stare, Daniel delivered a response that caught him off guard. "I didn't ask for a question. I asked if you understood what I just said." A notion people formed when they first laid eyes on Daniel crumbled away when he showed he was clearly as scary as the conductor. "So, did you get it?"

"Yes!" In unison, everyone answered him. 

As he turned, he intended to speak but ultimately refrained. With his sharp gaze off us, we followed behind him into the town. When we paused near the heart of the town, a large building stood right in front of us.

As he faces us once again, he readies himself to make an announcement. "I will only say this one time, so listen well! Inside behind the counter, you will find four ladies! The first three will ask you basic questions such as name, age, so on and so forth. This is so we can get identifications made for you! If you are family, you can go together! If you are not, you go one by one! If you are a child with no supervision, meaning 17 and under, there will be a woman standing to the side. It's important to gather with her as she will provide assistance in obtaining all the certifications you need!"

Before proceeding, Daniel cleared his throat and resumed shouting. "For the woman seated at the far right, she will be helping you with accommodations! We have housing for two or four people no more, no less! If you are a family, you can ask for residence together! If you don't fill the house, a random person will live with you, the same goes for acquaintances! Again, if you are 17 or under with no adult supervision gather around the woman standing by the side. She's the headmistress of the orphanage that will be taking care of you! That will be all!"

While walking away, he remembered something. "I want to see order, Understood!"

"Yes!" Daniel smiles as he hears a touch of enthusiasm in their reply. "Good." 

As he enters, two of his men hold the door to the building open. 

For the certification process, they allowed only a certain amount of people inside, while the others had to wait outside. When it was finally my turn, I took a seat in front of the lady.

"Name?"

"Samuel Ledger."

"Age?"

"25."

She lifted her gaze from the paper and locked eyes with my tired, worn-out expression. "Age?"

"I'm 25, miss."

Gazing at me intently, she sighs. Turning to her side, she does an arm movement to a man in the back.

Walking towards us, he places an orb on a stand before me. "Put your hands on it."

Doing what he said, I glanced back at the woman.

"Tell me hold old you are?"

"Like I said miss, I'm 25."

They intently stared at the orb, but nothing happened. The both of them looked at me, not knowing what to say. Without saying a word, the man grabbed the stand and left. The woman now embarrassed made the rest of the identification process uncomfortable, but it didn't take much longer. 

All the groups were given priority in choosing housing before assigning homes to individuals who were alone. Eventually, my roommates for my stay here were decided.

"John, Liam, Eiji, Samuel!" Liam walked up to the counter and accepted the two keys we received for the house. He had a short conversation with the woman before she pointed him to the town map on a wall inside the building.

While he was moving away from the woman, an individual came up to him. "Did you get the keys, Liam?"

"Yup, I did.

After John, another man approached them and also introduced himself. "I'm Eiji, I'll be in your care."

The two reciprocated his words with a light smile and nod.

John scanned the area in search of the last person who would be joining them. "Where could this Samuel fellow be."

"I think I'm with you guys?" Liam and John turned around and glanced in my direction.

"Oh." As soon as they laid eyes on me, the smiles on their faces vanished. Judging from their reactions, I could tell that they had probably caught sight of me in the passage. It wasn't much more difficult to figure out the rest.

"What's wrong why the sudden change?" Eiji was perplexed by how they acted.

We maintained a silent gaze at each other for a little longer until Liam turned around and audibly expressed his frustration.

As soon as we reached the house, I moved up the stairs. "Hey, you can't just-" Ignoring John's words, I entered a room and shut the door, causing him to stop mid-sentence. 

"Damned crazy bastard." Liam cursed, before turning his head and glanced at Eiji. "There are two beds per room. Could you stay with him Eiji?"

As Eiji shifted his gaze between Liam and John, he realized that there would be issues if either of them had to share a room with Samuel. "I'll do it."

"Thanks, you're a real hero." John smiled when Eiji agreed to their requite.

After handing over the spare key to Eiji, John and Liam walked back to the front door. Just as they were about to leave, Liam decided to turn back. "Ah right, the woman told me that the dining hall is open from 7:00 to 9:00, from 12:00 to 14:00, and from 18:00 to 20:00."

"Okay, I'll tell Samuel."

"You can do that, but he probably won't eat the food." With that, the two walked off.

"Why would he not eat the food?" Eiji shook his head in a state of confusion before proceeding up the stairs. As he entered through the door, he saw me sitting on the side of the bed, my gaze fixated on the ground.

"The dining hall is open right now. We could go eat if you want." While he spoke, I took off my shoes.

"I'm going back to sleep." Being distant to him, I say little, while crawling into bed, still fully clothed.

"Then I'm going to go eat." While holding open the door he looked at me.

"Sleep well." As he left, my eyes remained fixated on the blank wall in front of me while I was unable to close an eye.

Outside, Eiji looks at the sky and sighs. "Suki, Akiyoshi, I hope we meet again soon."