As it was daytime, the stars were shrouded by clouds along with the light of the sun, completely invisible to the naked eye. Yet, these would be the same stars that cast over Sappora even over great distances, as far off objects in the night sky hardly move relative to a person on land. This is merely an intrinsic property of cosmology. One can reason this is what it is meant when the stars act as a guide.

“Hey look Junior, check out this view…”

The view of the morning sun casted a warm, orange luster over the valley of snow and the evergreen trees that stretched miles and miles across. The water surfaces of the many shooting streams glistened in the same color. A breeze shook the treetops and picked up a faint cloud of snow, carrying the powdered veil across the field. From our vantage point, one would expect to be shivering from the cold winds but instead, the lighting peering over the horizon alone was enough to calm even my own nerves.

It was nothing short of exhilarating. Stepping beyond that despair was similar to stepping through a dream. My legs grew jittery, like they were simultaneously at the tipping point of giving out and breaking out running. Compared to just a few seconds ago in the depths of isolation, it was as if a switch had been flipped inside my mind. Every cloud does indeed have a silver lining... I’m glad that I put one foot in front of the other instead of doing the opposite.

“Now this is the stuff that excites me.” Velma let out a breath of condensation that expanded around her. I breathed out my own and watched as it dissipated into the environment. The air was fresh, sweet, and cold. Only a few days prior had it been too windy and freezing to stay outside for so long, but now the stars seemed to align at just the right moment. I could’ve stood on that same overlook for hours taking in the sight.

“You have way too many sparkles in your eyes right now, Junior.” Velma said, “This really must be exciting for you—Hey wait, is that ice in your…? Are you really tearing up ice cubes right now? Does... that not hurt at all?!”

“I’m…” I started, wiping my eyes with a sleeve, but the tears just kept on flowing.

Of course anyone would tear up after seeing such a sight. From the page in the atlas, this specific mountain range system is called the Scandia Alps, apparently a known location for sightseeing. That was plainly spelled out in the text blurbs alongside photos, but never in a million years would I see the exact same scenic shots in real life like this.

“I…” What could I have said, other than… “...Thank you, Velma… for being here with me.”

“It’s a pleasure.”

That was when it all came tumbling down and the icy tears ran down my face. I couldn’t have seen her, but as I covered my face in my hands, I felt her hand cover my head. The feeling astonished me—I never knew just how warm a person’s hand could be. No other’s body heat even comes close in comparison to her. Even with her gloves, her hand was as warm as the fire that we had huddled close to on that night.

・

After I had collected myself from that rather embarrassing display, Velma gave me a shove on the back. “Must be hard having your genes. It’s only gonna get more exciting from here. Hope you don’t lose your tissues along the way.”

She was right to say that. As we trekked onwards through the vast expanse, time and time again, I had no choice but to force myself not to shed any more tears. The world as I knew it was just far more complex than I thought. It took all of my effort just to not waltz all over the place as soon as my eyes lay upon a unique rock formation or a species of plant I’ve never seen before. Instead, awing at the vast scenery while we trekked onwards was all I could do without being a nuisance.

As time passed, there was a noticeable shift in the terrain as the snow beneath us began to thin. For the first time in my entire life, I saw small patches of greenery beneath my feet: little blades of green paper caressed around my ankles as if to massage them after a long haul.

“Woah! What is this stuff?” I asked, running my hand along the prickly blades. The feeling felt comparable to fur, but more refined.

“It’s called ‘grass’, Junior.” Velma pointed out, though, repeatedly tapped her foot onto said grass. That’s when it clicked. I’ve seen the word ‘grass’ before. Again, it was from that same book: I had forgotten about the fields of greenery that filled each page of the atlas. That’s right, this was only a fraction of how colorful the world can be; the full picture will come in due time. Unfortunately, it seemed Velma’s patience was only a fraction of mine as by the time I got up, she was already on the move, her back facing against me.

After a few more hours of trekking, we had stumbled across yet another great expanse—this time, of a body of water that must’ve stretched as far as Sappora itself.

“Ah, there it is. The Fairhaven River!”

No way, I thought, This is a river? I’d always known mountain rivers to span only a few meters wide. Adults say that the streams represent the blood of the lands, so to see a river cascade downward through the entire valley left me speechless—as if we were standing at the heart of a giant. Its turquoise-blue water flickered along the surface, swerving left and right as it made its way down the mountain pass. I dipped a hand inside, and the icy rushing water sent goosebumps up my arm, causing my whole body to shiver in response.

“If we follow this river then we’d not have to worry about getting lost.” Velma cupped her hands in the water and took a sip from it, “Paahh! That hit the spot!”

With my hand still in the river, I drew some water out and led my lips to it. Cold, refreshing. This was a first for me: the first time I drank water from the outside world. It was a moment so minute, yet it couldn’t have felt so powerful.

・

—And of course, we put our kitchen tools to good use. When the time came for our stomachs to grumble, Velma said it was about time for some grub and brought out a thin wire snare from her burlap sack. She ushered me to follow her.

We hunt, of course. It’s Sappora’s main resource for our food, so to see Velma’s own abilities surpass everyone’s was a treat in of itself. She easily found a worn trail off the beaten path where seemingly animals often pass through and secured the snare around a tree. Nevertheless, I never thought how good her intuition was until Velma pointed out a herd of wild boars that I’ve never seen the likes of before grazing within the foliage.

Within not even a few minutes, the family passed by and one lobbed its head into the loop of the trap, succumbing to the snare—its neck pinched and wrapped around in wire. It flailed its body in the attempt to escape, but eventually seemed to accept its fate as it fell silent. Poor thing had to be the one chosen for our sake.

I brought my hands together in gratitude. “Thank you for your service.”

And without a lasting second, she ended it quickly with one precise stab of her blade. After the deed was done, Velma cued me to bring out the cook set. And so I did, but immediately looked away the moment she went to work on preparing the meat. The following smell of blood that permeated the air made me a bit nauseous.

“You know, someday you’re going to be in the same position as we are, surviving out there and forced to use the wildlife to your advantage. So you best be learning it now instead of regretting it later, Junior.”

“Urgh.” I doubt what she said will come true, but I took her word for it and turned my head back, trying hard not to wince at the sight. Gory imagery aside, Velma’s technique left no imperfections behind. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I had never watched adults prepare an animal, but I’ve never seen such mastery with a knife before. Her movements through the body appeared autonomous… as if she had been doing this every day of her life.

In the next couple of minutes, the process of skinning, gutting, and butchering wild boars was ingrained in my head afterwards whether I wanted to or not.

・

“This Sappora of yours is actually located in the far north of Scandia. Currently, we’re right on the border of the region.” Velma said as we sat on a grassy slope just to the side of the river eating our makeshift meal. Just as she promised she had me use my Aoi to create ice and kept the leftovers chilled inside an insulated metal container.

“We’re that far up?” Since the days of childhood, I haven’t had so much of a passing knowledge of the general geography around the town. I knew the history, but not the means on which it had played out—which made me a bit curious.

“How did you come across our town in the first place?” I asked her.

She took her time to nibble on the boar meat and wiped her mouth before answering, “To be frank, that wasn’t done on purpose. It just so happened that your place was right next to a convenient spot to set up a camp in polar climates.” she said between chews, “Everywhere else is just a snowy wasteland.”

Now that I thought about it, there wasn’t much of anything that can be considered shelter here in these valleys. Nothing, except for the occasional grove every few hills or so. It’s strange to think people would want to travel here in the first place, but that must be a blessing in disguise.

“...That’s probably the reason why those early settlers chose there too.” I muttered.

“Like minded people attract each other.”

We took a couple more bites in silence. A breezed had picked up which drew me a little closer to Velma for protection. After rummaging about my place in the world, I couldn’t help but to speak my mind. “Sometimes I wish that they hadn’t done that.”

“Oh?”

“At least not in a secluded place up north of Scandia. If I hadn’t been born in a town like Sappora then... maybe I wouldn’t have become such a… a burden.”

Especially towards everyone too…

But then Velma sighed. “You can’t control whatever situation you were dumped into. At least one person has to draw the short end of the stick, but that means they don’t have to despair over it like some whiner. Rather, it's a better use of your energy to make the most of your predicament than do nothing about it.”

“You say that but… I just can’t help it.” For a klutz, she was awfully philosophical ever since we departed. The only person who’s as wordy as her might be our Mom.

“Miss… Does your Aoi grant miracles?”

“...I guess you can say that. And drop the miss while you’re at it.”

“Then it’s really effective. This is truly a miracle for me.”

She smiled. “For a cute girl like you, I couldn’t possibly refuse.”

Velma must’ve thought twice at what she said, because she became flustered and immediately dropped her smile. “Anyways… We should only press on just a bit further and then we’d be able to reach our first stop sometime soon. Then we’d finally have a roof over our heads.”

I tilted my head. “First stop? Isn’t that a bit too early?”

From what I remembered in the map, we still had a ways to go before reaching any sort of town judging by the lack of human made structures. Is Velma’s definition of ‘a bit further’ different from mine? But that was when she raised her head and spotted something up in the air. “Oh. Speaking of which, look above.”

She didn’t answer my question, but following her directions did. I looked up—a floating chamber traversed the air at a moderate pace connected by only a string of metal wire that I didn’t notice before, spanning far beyond what my eyes can reach.

“Woah! They’re floating!”

“Aerial lifts. The official term is called gondola lifts, but I like the way aerial lifts sound more. Railway channels to transport people across long distances, a staple for Scandia as there’s a ton of weird terrain where you could break a leg traveling through. Honestly, no clue how they actually work mechanically-wise, but they’re highly convenient for those traveling on foot. Oh, and by the way, they’re not actually floating in midair, they're just… hanging by the thread...” Velma explained.

I looked up at her and she returned the gaze.

“...I already know what you’re gonna ask. We need to anyway in order to reach—”

“Yes! Thank you, Miss!”

“*Sigh* Told ya to drop the miss already…”

・

The feeling of pure metal beneath my boots and the swaying of the carriage communicated to me that I was at the mercy of gravity. Losing the lunch I just ate was the last thing I wanted, so I clenched the railing as hard as I could the moment I felt the swaying—Velma’s laughing aside. Yet, that nervous, nauseous feeling disappeared as soon as the lift began its descent from the cliff we just stood upon. The view of land receding away from us was a sight I’ve never thought that can be experienced. I’m at a loss for words, not from fear this time, but pure amazement. The dips and rises of hills dotted by the trees reaching the clouds were filled with rocky roads flowing in and out of each other like rivers. Not to mention the mountain range colored black and white enshrouded by environmental haze that sent another tear to my eye.

“Oi, oi. Don’t press your face against the glass like that. Who knows what kind of people with their lack of sanitary routines use this same lift.”

What was that? Sorry, I couldn’t hear what Velma said. Perhaps she said something about how nice the view was through the glass. I’d agree. Our view was somewhat shrouded by fog, but it made for an ambient that struck a chord with the green and white backdrop. With the fog blotting out everything but us, I can truly say that we were adrift in the sky, surrounded by clouds with no land and no other people. Just the two of us gazing out of the frost-rim shield and listening to the humming and occasional creaks of the lift.

“Heh. You really do look like a six year old right now, you know that?”

For once, I did not argue with her. Perhaps it would be better if what she said was true. I wanted this moment to last forever.

・

The sun sank farther into the horizon as the light started to drain from the environment. My own breath became more apparent as it grew brisker. After quite a while of trekking through the mountainous path, I began to take note of a sharp, unusual scent that grew stronger by the second: salt. The smell of salt found its way into my nose, tingling so much that I had to pinch it. Wait… salt? No, that can’t be right. Salt wouldn’t just be present in large quantities to make such a profound impact like this.

“Where is that coming from?”

“Maybe it's just you?” Velma suggested, pointing at her armpits.

“...Funny.” I went in for a jab, but she dodged it without any effort.

“Joking aside, that means we’ve done it. We reached the harbor.”

“Harbor? But how is that—”

And then, as if in answer, came the shriek of a white bird known as the seagull which led my eyes to another part of this exotic world. A port area—dozens of vessels lined up around the harbor; their masts filling the pure blue backdrop. Riggers spurred around hoisting sails and all the while, people dressed in neat attire coasted through the sidewalks without so much of a care in the world. Even from this distance, the sailors’ chanteys were audible as they performed their routine operations.

With the amount of time I’ve spent learning about the lingo throughout the nights, I never thought I would see the day where I would put my broken, yet sufficient knowledge into practice. Sorry... Chloe. I shouldn’t be the one to be standing here in this exact spot. I don’t deserve to be here. What visceral feeling would she experience if she were looking through my eyes right now, I wonder. At least, it’s gotta be more than what my already jaw gaping reaction would be. I bet she would most certainly be the captain of one of these vessels and lead her own crew.

But now that I think about it, the scene felt far more ‘historical’ than I would have imagined—the cause of which were those white sheets tousling in the wind. The use of masts should be outdated by now. Instead of the rustling of the masts, I would expect to hear the whistles of steamboats hoot as they depart from the dock.

“Aren’t they a bit too far behind in times?” I asked.

“Yeah, they are.”

“So then...”

“But you can say the same thing for people playing with automata. It’s their hobby, people do whatever they want.”

“What are automa—”

“—Whew, now we can get a roof over our heads!” Velma shouted, placing her hand on top of my own and shaking me repeatedly until I grew dizzy.

This place is where we’re going to spend the night? I couldn't have possibly anticipated such a nautical location would be our first stop, or my first real contact with the outside for that matter. It was a harsh change of pace from the mountainous scenery we’ve been experiencing thus far. And when I thought about it, It didn’t occur to me that we have descended so far down that we have reached sea level until after we stepped onto the wet, concrete pavement.

A man and woman passed by us on the sidewalk, and as they did they kept their eyes on me a little longer than what I would have been comfortable with. What was their problem? I wondered, until a bang had fallen over my eyes when I dropped my head. My appearance. It had to be my appearance being different from everyone else. The foreign one now was me. There will likely be more stares the moment we walk in, huh?

“Just let me do all the talking.”

There was no time to mentally prepare myself as Velma had led us to a two-story brick building a little far from the shore. Through the front doors, the parlor first greeted me with the slight smell of tobacco, then came the chatter. People dressed in suits, vests, overalls, dresses, or long skirts occupied the tables, engaging in discussions, laughing, and enjoying themselves. Quite a few had tobacco pipes in their mouths which must’ve been the source of the not-so-appealing-smell.

The moment I entered their field of view, some turned their heads and glanced at me for a few seconds before returning to their activities.

“Looks like even the kids grow some gray hairs these days, eh? Gehaha!” one chuckles, their comment of which caused others to crack a smile. Thankfully, the scarf over my mouth hid the blush that had likely formed over my face. Not exactly the first utterance you want to hear from a person of the outside world. Yet somehow, it was the most inviting atmosphere for what it was. Their tone was playful, not of scorn. And the parlor itself: not too busy, not too quiet.

“A room for two, please.” Velma requested over at the reception desk.

“Aye, luv.” The receptionist got up, cracked their neck, and proceeded to dig inside a drawer. The two dived into a conversation soon after, but I lost focus of what they were talking about after a few seconds. Another exchange overtook my attention.

“Heard they’re planning on launching another expedition.” a gentleman said over by one of the tables to their partner.

“Those folks? More power to them. I wouldn’t put it past em to head off to that hellhole.”

“Why damn my eyes if I won’t shoot those sons of bitches. Though, jail is not the most desirable for my health.

“Be careful with your choice of words. That said, anyone capable of speech can spout their wishes anytime they so choose.”

The two snickered. “...Admit it, they brought undesirable treatment to our city council multiple times. You have that lingering feeling as well, don’t you?”

“Haha, so you figured me out that quickly. How come you didn’t do as much as this game?”

“I merely didn’t put my back into it. This time, my pawn will be the one to checkmate your king.”

“Don’t get cocky, now. If you die this next battle, then our alliance was never meant to be!”

“Ho?”

“Tonight you shall perish, mongrel!”

“Hmph. Then come at me, scum of the earth!”

Whatever they were doing, it looked strange. Moving around wooden pieces on a checker-board one at a time? Oh well. Anyways, while Velma was occupied, I had a chance to take in the setting of the parlor room. The interior of which wasn’t so far off from what’s familiar in Sappora. It wasn’t perfect, but the same wooden tables, chairs, architecture still felt welcoming. Well, all except for one: one certain piece of furniture that I had a hard time figuring out what its purpose was. Heck, not even what it even was.

“What is that?” I pointed to the foreign appliance as Velma returned back, key in hand.

“You don’t know? Errf, I should expect you wouldn’t by now. That right there is a piano, a musical instrument. In fact, it’s a well-known instrument from my home region, at least, for the southern parts. Alkai is actually known for their music.” Velma walked over to it and put her hand on the protruding part, “These white and black slabs across are called ‘keys’. When you press them down, a sound plays. And how ‘high’ or ‘low’ it sounds is called a ‘note’.”

Just as she said, a ring came out of the instrument—a sound that reminded me of our Mom’s hums.

“Wow… You know how to play it, Miss?”

Velma’s eyes darted for a second. “I-I sure can…! *ahem* Hopefully she’ll give me the benefit of the doubt.”

“I want to see you play!”

“Eh… I knew it. I don’t want to draw attention to myself, though…”

With the same technique earlier, I stared at her.

“You and your puppy eyes… Fine.” She took the seat of the piano, “Good thing Junior ain’t a music critic.” Velma closed her eyes and allowed a moment to pass before commencing her performance.

“This piece is called ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’.” Just then, there were a few chuckles from the room as her hands rested on the keys. I found it odd to have such a shared reaction, the name sounded pretty. And speaking of pretty...

One note, two notes, three. This sound, it was like dripping with butter atop ice cream… atop even more butter…! We have music, yes, but this was like a whole nother form of art… Each pass of her hands through the keys looked and sounded smooth, comparable to her skill with the knife. I found myself bobbing my head to the rhythm, simple as it was.

But then, a minute in… the speed of her hands shifted dramatically, as notes suddenly increased while maintaining their flow into each other. Everyone around the lobby dropped whatever they were preoccupied with to listen in on Velma’s sudden skillful performance. Before I knew it, a crowd had gathered around the piano, shoving me between shoulders. Oh look who’s watching the show now. Despite the invasion of private space, I continued to listen to her music completely in awe the whole stretch.

An applause erupted throughout the lobby as the last note of the piece faded into silence.

“Ye go lass!”

“That was Twinkle Twinkle Little Star?! Vast heaving...”

“Never knew I’d ever be so bewitched by a baby’s lullaby like this!”

“Blasted. Normal fingers couldn’t physically move that fast.”

“It’s a happy piano…!”

“Ehehe…” Velma rubbed the back of her head as she waved to the crowd, “Not too shabby if I say so myself...”

Ah… Well… It seemed that the attention got to her head. How did I know she would be the type to get carried away in situations like this? As soon as the room grew quiet again, she rested her hands on the keys to begin a new piece. And the cycle continued.

“There are quite a lot of unique faces out there, eh?” A middle aged man suddenly said beside me as he crossed his arms.

“Huh? Oh, indeed.”

“Back in my early childhood,” he continued, “every establishment would pay folks to play jazz songs to provide some ambience before these newfangled vinyl records and these radio doohickies. Proficiency in a musical instrument was sought after in those times, so those who are able to play were highly regarded. Yet, this young lady decides to show off her skill in the most un-elegant way imaginable.” He shook his head as if in disappointment with the generations after him.

I probably should have apologized in Velma’s place, but the old man showed a slight glint of a smile as if he too enjoyed her vandalism of the piano.

“That yer guardian, kid?”

“Yes.”

“Then mind you, tell her to keep down the racket while I get some shut eye tonight.”

Ahaha… “I will…”

Perhaps he thought she’s the type of person who snores in their sleep. If so then who knows just how much snoring I’d have to deal with if her piano skills are anything to learn from.

・

At some point, a cold drizzle had fallen and it seemed unlikely to let up anytime soon. By then, the inn’s bustling atmosphere had died down as most of the patrons either left on their individual journeys or had gone in their quarters. And Velma told me that it was time to hit the hay as well.

“My own personal room…”

With only a day’s worth of hiking, the two beds at the corner of the room we had entered became the most appealing objects in the world, surpassing anything I've seen thus far. A safe haven, drawing me into one. My legs never felt more sore in my life, but despite the aches, this made for a great first day of traveling.

“Our personal room. Anyways, I’m sure you gotta be beat, Junior. Get some rest and we’ll move onto tackling Alkai itself tomorrow, alright?”

“Right.”

The room was cozy enough that I didn’t have any trouble settling in. Perhaps, it was due to the object resting on the desk that emitted light on its own, to which Velma called it the ‘lightbulb’. I tried to ask for info, but she immediately shot me down, saying it’s far too late for that. After she turned off the ‘lightbulb’, we both dug underneath the covers in our respective beds and said our goodnights.

But after experiencing all of that, how could I just fall asleep like that? Did this day actually happen? Did I actually witness all of that with my own two eyes?

Will you run as far as the lands can stretch?

I guess I did, at least partly. That question was posed to me years ago, and finally I could say that I’ve partly answered it. What a weird feeling it was to say that.

“Actually, this may seem like an odd question, but do you remember how you brought up that Niebieski dragon thing?” Velma suddenly asked.

I did? Oh, that’s right, I did. Back when I didn’t know about the concept of ‘Aoi’.

“Yes?”

“You said this dragon was from stories that get passed down in your village or something, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“There’s more to it than just this one guy, isn’t there?”

“Mhmm.”

“...Care to enlighten me? I’m a bit curious.”

Oh? “I never thought you’d be interested in that stuff.”

“Hey, it’s an explorer’s job to learn every nook and cranny of the world we live in. C’mon, you gotta tell me these ‘fairy tales’ of yours. In return I’ll tell you mine.”

Oh Velma… Guess I owe it to her to return the favor she had given me today. But what a strange experience to be telling something I once thought was common knowledge who still holds knowledge I can only dream of.

“Well, there’s this Fairy who lives in the forest…”

・

・

・

・

・

・

・

・

“Oi sleepyhead. Wake up. It’s morning.”

The rough shaking caused my heavy eyelids to open. As my eyes acclimated to the light, the view of Velma by the side of the bed first registered. What time was it?

“Mnn...?”

“Oi, rise and shine, Junior. I kinda need you to get up, ASAP.”

“Wha… it’s still so… early…”

I was right. I didn’t get any sleep at all thanks to her constant snoring last night. Hardly anyone at the mill’s dorms gave me such a headache as her. The window hardly looked lit from where I laid, but that didn’t deter Velma from pestering me. So then, what is exactly happening?

“I don’t want to alarm you, but it seems like we got some trouble this morning.”