The City of Ionia

When the next day strolled by, we found ourselves close to Walisburg. It took us much longer to get there since we got lost twice.

I’m never trusting Marshall with directions ever again.

“Do you care if we go to Walisburg for a bit?”

“Ya, after we finish what we came here for.”

“But it’s Walisburg! The biggest and liveliest city in the outside world! Come on, just for a bit?”

Damn, he was being stupidly persistent. I flat-out rejected his begging and continued to hike up the hills.

The shrubs were a healthy green. Weak twigs of all sizes were scattered around. The trees gave us protection from the unforgiving sun. Without it, we would’ve burned to a crisp. Even with the shade, I could feel sweat emerging from my pores.

Damn, I wanted to jump into a lake.

“Say, Jill,” he said, then stopped.

“What?”

He took a long pause, looking at his steps. “Never mind.”

“Huh? Don’t keep me hanging. C’mon, spit it out.”

“No, it’s stupid.”

I slapped him on the back of his head. “You piss me off, y’know.”

“Screw you,” he complained, grabbing the area I struck.

We continued our friendly smack talk. It was a common occurrence, especially after sting operations. There is no particular reason why. I guess this was how friendships were. I wasn’t sure, but someone told me if you mess around with someone so much and still care for them, then that bond is absolute. I’m pretty confident my bond with Marshall was the same thing.

After hiking till my legs ached, we finally spotted a brown cabin camping under the branches and leaves. It was a healthy brown, almost as if the place was adequately cared for. There were no windows—well—not that I could see. Nothing escaped through the stone chimney. It looked like the perfect winter cabin, strong enough to resist snow.

“There it is!” I exclaimed, throwing my arm around Marshall’s shoulder.

“Finally. There better be some snacks, or we’re heading to Walisburg.”

“The House with Answers is right there, and all you care about is snacks? Where are your priorities?”

“Food is a man’s greatest priority.”

I mean, he wasn’t entirely wrong. But seriously, why the hell couldn’t he take this seriously?

“Do you think someone’s going to be there? Or is it like some magical library with books of wisdom and stuff like that?”

I looked at Marshall with an odd expression. “The hell are you talking about?”

“My mother once told me a story about how this man climbed the highest point in the world where a mythical library was. When he walked in, he gained unimaginable knowledge and wisdom. Somehow, this kinda reminds me of that childish story.”

“Do you not believe in gaining wisdom that way?”

“Phhffff. How can someone gain knowledge by stepping into a house or a library? It’s not possible.”

“So you believe someone has to deliver that wisdom? Regardless of whether someone is here or not, this place is basically the mountain from your story. Instead of getting wisdom, we’re getting answers.”

“This entire thing is so stupid.”

The corner of my cheeks tugged into a tiny smile. “But you’re here, right?”

“This doesn’t count,” he sighed, annoyed that he contradicted himself.

While having our friendly chat, we heard a loud thump behind us. My heart skipped a beat or two, and when I turned around, I wouldn’t even know if my heart beat within the next few minutes.

Its armor was bright blue but not too bright that it would shine in the dark. Thick black stripes ran down its limbs. Its visor had a similar appearance to a honeycomb. It’s the same pattern and color. It towered over us empty-handed.

Transfixed with fear, all I could do was stare at it. Stare at death. I saw something similar before in the cells. What it did to the guards scared me for life. It left a wound so deep it was impossible to heal.

“I-I-Is that a…”

Marshall couldn’t even finish his sentence. It sucked out his words—his breath. But who could blame him? Anyone would fumble their thoughts with death glooming at their eyes.

I snapped out of it, pulling Marshall while slowly taking steps back. It wasn’t an animal that would attack with sudden movements, and after witnessing one a few years ago, I wasn’t even sure if it was human.

“J-Jill, do y-y-you k-know what that is, right?”

“It’s a SCAR agent.”

“Wh–What do we do?”

It didn’t attack. It merely stood as if waiting for us to make our move. It was a complete standstill. If we moved, it would probably be our last step. But we couldn’t stand here forever.

I grabbed Marshall’s hand, squeezing his veins out of his skin. “We’re booking it!” I turned around and jolted but was stopped by resistance. What happened? Marshall wasn’t this strong. He was a skinny child who complained about the clothes we stole.

I turned my head around to see death gripping Marshall’s waist. Marshall’s face was the same color as the armor. He didn’t have room to breathe, literally.

“M–Marshall…?”

Death lifted the choking Marshall into the air, crushing his ribs. I couldn’t do anything besides watch. I mean, what else could I do?

“R-R…un”

“Marshall?!”

Before I knew it, his blood splattered on my face. Marshall was squished like an insect. I dropped to my knees, screaming.

I wiped my face and looked at my hands. Blood. Marshall’s blood. My breathing became stagnant, and my mind was going all over the place.

My first friend, after being granted freedom, died right in front of me. He wanted to know where his father was. That was all. And I drove him to the end of his life.

Why? Why did this happen? We were supposed to receive our answers, and this happened.

I crushed my skull with my palms. What was going on? I couldn’t understand anything. The SCAR agent threw the lifeless Marshall onto the ground. I didn’t even have to look up. My ears told me the story.

That was it. I was going to die. I didn’t even want to look up. I stared at the last thing I saw—the grass.

Believe it or not, the first time I touched an open field of grass was a few months ago. Raphtalia also wanted to do that. She wished to swim in the sea, build sandcastles, and pick fresh fruit off trees.

But the one thing she wanted more than anything was her desire to become reality.

She’s gone. She’ll forever be gone.

But I’m still here. Breathing. Living. And as long as that was true, then I haven’t reached death yet.

I roared loud enough for the world to hear my hatred. I jumped back and onto my two feet.

“You murdered Marshall, and now you’re trying to take my dream away? What do you want from me?!”

My vision was blurry. Curse these tears for getting in the way.

I rolled up my sleeves. There was no chance I was going to defeat it. And if there were, I would need the power of a God. But with my hatred piled to the top, I felt like I could take on God himself.

I drew my foot back and leaned back, ready to charge at death itself.

And then I did. I yelled, cocking back my fist, ready for any impact. Or so I thought.

The SCAR agent sent me flying with one strike to the chest. It knocked the wind out of me. I couldn’t see or breathe. I couldn’t think. It was a faded white.

Wow, how stupid that decision was. I needed to quit these impulse decisions and think things through.

Rejecting my survival rate, my adrenaline pushed me back up. My vision began to become clear.

I stumbled, regaining my balance. It was coming towards me. How far did it send me flying? The distance between us was crazy.

As it closed in the gap, that’s when I heard the impossible.

Huh? It couldn’t be. Who the hell would come here?

I didn’t know how, but I heard horse cries. And right then and there, I was scooped up and tossed on the back of a galloping horse.

“Welcome aboard to the Rowdy Express! I am your captain, Harley, coming to save the day!”

What was going on was clear, but I couldn’t understand why. For some reason, I was saved and jolted up and down on a horse.

While trying to put the pieces together, my left leg felt an immeasurable amount of pain. It felt as if it was chopped off with an ax. But it wasn’t. It was still there.

What was there, though, was a clear tube with black liquid reducing in volume. What the? How did that get there? Was this the SCAR agent’s doing?

As soon as the liquid vanished, the tube detached from my body.

I was so lost. Everything made no sense. My head. It killed. Everything was in pain. My entire body ached like crazy. My head collapsed onto the person in front; my eyes closed, wondering if it was all a dream.