CHAPTER 3.1

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Clad in a dress revealing from thigh to ankle and even from shoulder to hand, my weight felt lighter than most attires in my time. Layers were no more than two, and the wind touched across my skin. With few touches, however, it felt like my dignity was under threat.

Before my eyes laid a mirror reflecting my whole figure. It unveiled a rather indelicate brand of me, flaunting my legs and arms. High-heeled shoes seized my feet, a footwear suited for an effective cavalry, yet became this pretentious 'fashion wear' in the end. An empty yet elegant purse hung over my wrist, adding a mistress' charm… as Ana claimed. Twirling my hair, a touch of silk graced my fingers, and its strand remained loyal to the way it was. My brows were tainted with black dust, and my lips were dyed in bloody crimson.

Beautiful… yet eerie to my eyes.

"I seem like the… Banekin," I said.

"Banekin?" asked Ana.

"What? Never heard of such a tale before?"

"No idea, gal," Ana shook her head. "I assume that's some famous legend only at your time."

"That is no legend, man. It's a divine truth—told and written by our dear forefather."

"Forefather?"

"Hugh the Great," I cried. "The one who slays the Banekin and purifies the land."

"Ahh… wait," Ana gazed at an upward side and rubbed her chin. "Have I heard that 'Hugh' name before?"

"Unless you've heard it from some history lesson."

"Nah… well yeah, but there's some… woman who jokes about Hugh being a… lick… eater… or something. Gah, I dunno. She spoke too posh to me."

"Lichetter? Hugh? The very same Hugh the Great?"

"King Hugh, the purifier, so they say,

And alas, a lichetter quelled 'evil's grey.'

But children's bellow, a haunting farce,

Fragranced a land forever scarred." quoted Ana. "That was the only part I could, at least, recall clearly."

"That sounds like branding him a bloody tyrant, which I have neither read or heard of. What kind of blasphemy is that?"

"Now you've had, and believe it or not, it's truly not a blasphemy, as it's already known to be true."

"How did that knowledge come out? Or was it only crafted to brand our forefather's name with foul intent?"

"I dunno, gal," Ana shook her head and shrugged. "Most likely some civil war propaganda tool or something."

"Then who was that woman you were talking about?"

"I don't know either. She hadn't even introduced her name before her brief performance. Y'know… just a stand-up comedy, except it's told by that… strange, awkward woman."

"I know? How on earth should I know this… stand-up comedy?"

"Nevermind."

"Okay, how about a… uhh… description?"

"Her hair is pretty much… white, and—" Ana squinted her eyes, her head leaning slightly forward to me.

"And what?"

Her head wobbled, the movement hinting at a mind wrestling with a dense fog. A few seconds ticked by as she scrutinised my face, then her eyes fluttered shut and her fingers reached up to massage her temples. Perhaps simply caught in the throes of thought, yet another forceful shake of her head seemed to propel her deeper into a mire of doubt. My curiosity gnawed at the edges of my mind: what secrets were veiled behind those closed lids?

"That… again, never mind, too."

Yet again, another baffling secret joined the growing pile. Why? What on earth is the point of hiding something from me? From someone who did not belong in this very era?

"Best we go now. The event's gonna start soon."

Amidst night, the row of vivid screens moving its sundry images glimmered beneath the ground of the apartment. It covered—even enlivened a vast expanse of grey concrete adorned with orderly rows of steel carriages resting in patient slumber. The air smelled faintly of exhaust, and the distant buzz of engines hinted at the arrivals and departures of those who had surrendered their iron steeds to this underground haven.

My pace of walking was sluggish, as I wasn't honed to walking with these bloody high-heels on. Fortunately, Ana had helped me in training on it for the whole afternoon until I finally had a grasp of it. Not a single careless stumble brought me joy.

As soon as Ana slowed her walk, she clicked a tiny disk on some small device coiled alongside an unfamiliar-shaped key. Then one of the steel carriages adorned with pure crimson dye suddenly rang from a hinting press. Doors opened on all sides, rising still like an eagle's wing.

Was it a ghost's doing or the work of a mana traced in fruitful design?

Or rather this was the… technology, as Ana had said.

"Here goes our ride," Ana looked at me and smiled. "What're you gazing at, gal? I'm sure you didn't know things about cars until now."

My eyes kept observing, ignoring her words. Sauntering forward, I took a closer look, and there lay a crimson so bright and clean, almost like she had bought it some hours ago.

"Don't stare still," Ayako—draped in a meticulously tailored coat that sculpted her silhouette—slapped on my back. "Or else you're gonna look like you grew up from SPED."

Then both entered into the steel carriage… or rather car, should I say.

So I stepped into the back, and lo and behold, more sundry colours flickered before my eyes, Truly vivid, I could tell, as it greeted us with a rather amusing gaze. Ana and Ayako turned their glimpse behind and gave me a smile—a smile that welcomed my bond with them.

"How's it, gal?" asked Ana. "Do you like my sweet Futuliev?"

"Futu… liev," I repeated. "Have I heard of it before?"

Truly, I could remember that word coming out of Lady Drea's mother tongue. The once-called crimson steed of hers that lifted her mighty flesh and blood across the battlefield… now passed through generations after generations until Ana and Polo's. This time, it was this pristine crimson car that Ana had been treasuring for how many years.

"Woah," said Ana, inserting a key and turning it to actuate the car. "That had been that long since the time of my ancestor?"

"Aye," I replied. "Named after her precious war steed that made our army win battles."

"Well, that made me riled up, for real."

The car began moving, driving back… then all the way up to the road.

* * *

Himel City stretched beneath a night sky devoid of true stars, lit only by an anaemic moon. Yet, unlike my star-dusted nights back home, here, false suns glowed on every road and building, bathing the world in a perpetual twilight. Below, figures strolled the paved paths, not unlike folk of yore, but the "steeds" they rode lacked hooves and snorted exhaust fumes instead of hay. Stranger still, other vehicles soared overhead, metallic birds flitting across the sky where only crows dared to venture in my time.

Again, how did the world become like this?

"So, gal," said Ana, continuing her question. "Since you've known Futuliev in terms of name, whose ancestor did you meet at that time?"

"Lady Drea… Drea von Lithplia," I answered. "She was one of my royal advisors and guardians—sworn sisters. Even the most brilliant and mightiest, too, I would say."

"Woah," Ana moaned. "I'm really proud of hearing that. What did she look like?"

"Almost pretty much like you… albeit her charm seemed quite opposite to yours."

"Charm? What do you mean?"

"Spirit. Or should I say… personality, if that sounds rather fathomable to you."

"And what's my charm?"

"Blither… and sillier."

"And my heaven-knows-how-many-great grandmother is… opposite to me, eh?" Ana chuckled. "Honestly, I'd wanna know how she acted in such a way."

"Ask Ayako how she acts."

"What?!" gasped Ayako. "How on bloody earth am I opposite to this 'blither and sillier' charm of hers?"

"At least, that was my first impression upon meeting her… back in Hansch."

"Hansch? Where is it?" asked Ana.

"Never heard of it before? That's where House Lithplia resided… and even were vowed to serve their people for centuries."

"Hansch, was it?... Maybe you're talking about the… old name of Fosse."

"Fosse?"

"Now you've never heard of it before. That's where my family originates."

"I see… so Hansch was renamed to… Fosse, eh? Sounds like they're going back to their very Wallic roots."

"Well… time changes, gal. If you still worry about this… granny Drea and the rest of the people at your time, don't forget I'm right here."

"Well, I don't know which one of those Lithplias you descended from."

"Huh, you don't mean that there were many of them at that time?"

"Sounds like they stuck to one branch later on, but indeed, there were quite a lot of them back then."

"Goodness."

"And sounds like they kinda followed the same tribalistic structure as ours," added Ayako. "Not surprised that someday… they'd fight over which one will wield the power and the land in the next generation."

"You mean… the aristocrats in your country had myriad branches on each bloodline?"

"Yeah, and worse… even the royal family had many clan members to the point that their succession ritual was through some sort of… deathmatch or something," Ayako chuckled. "After all, it's to seek which eyes were strongest and firmest among all."

"Who were those royal families?" I asked.

"Hanashi clan," answered Ayako. "All of them… or rather their eyes are granted with an inherent power of Kusengan. Said—Proven to be undertaken with a power of witnessing the absolute truth, or at least a gist of it." then she turned her head behind and flashed a crimson-black stare before me, feeling such an eerie gust crossing through my skin. "Just like I have."

"Ehh," I flinched and gasped, fearing over her menacing visual prowess. "Such power…"

"A single stare, and the abyss shall stare back at you."

"W-What land were you from?"

Ayako returned her head to the front and answered, "Taijin."

"From the Fareast?"

"Hai… we really live in a small world," giggled Ayako. "Unless Ana's boobs can make it bigger."

"Sorry," Ana scoffed. "Can't make my back pain much bigger and worse. Much like my problem right now if I'm directly descended from the great Drea or not."

"Speaking of clan members… and deathmatch, I believe the same goes to House Lithplia's ritual at my time," I added.

"Oh… no wonder why we're the only ones," gasped Ana. "At least, to our best knowledge."

"And here I am," I bowed my head and hid my frowning lips, worries filling inside my mind. "Wondering if Lady Drea was able to succeed or not. Yet as the most brilliant and mightiest, her claim should be rightfully hers."

"You'd only believe."