The air is clean. The sheets are clean. The toilet is clean. My injuries are healed. If this is hell, then it’s gotten a bad rep. If this is heaven, then I have to wonder why there’s a prison here at all.

The pale white walls, floor, and ceiling have never known true filth, and the silvery metal bars of the cell look to have been spit polished just this morning. Diffuse light fills the space, born from small glowing sections of stone embedded in the ceiling. There are no shadows here, only light.

I’d woken up expecting another life-or-death struggle, Godzilla leaning down and wanting to make a snack of me or something equally as awful. Instead, I’m in a soft bed with fresh sheets, in a locked cell which is far nicer than the hellish barracks I’ve been kept in lately.

The only things missing are my cuddle buddy, my pointy-eared soldier, and my feathered historian.

I can see the hall outside my cell but there is no one else around and when I call out, I hear no response.

I swallow back my worry. They’re fine.

If I somehow made it out alive, then they did too. This is just another hurdle, another battle, another fight. We knew something like this was coming, I just thought it would be more violent.

My hands are trembling, so I clench them into fists. My legs can’t stop moving, so I pace the width of the room. Six steps, turn, six steps.

“Is anyone there?” I ask yet again, trying to keep my voice steady, “Nel? Vii? Eshya?”

There’s no response. I didn’t expect one. I feel cold and alone, and without someone else around I’m having trouble pretending anymore.

“I’m a grand empress? Who the fuck do I think I am? I can’t even protect a few friends…” I bite my tongue.

I shouldn’t be talking. I don’t know who’s listening.

I wasn’t like this before the lizardman and the chipping… Sure some people called me strange every now and again but it’s not like I went around declaring myself royalty. Something about the magic, or the brain chip, or the simple fucking trauma has messed with my head.

The room isn’t technically cold, perfectly temperate in fact, but there’s a warmth that’s missing from beside me. Nel’s been clingy, and I guess I’ve gotten used to it.

Dependency shouldn’t develop in such a short time, but I’ve had company ever since I’ve dropped into this hell. I’ve barely spent even a moment alone. So now, hearing nothing but quiet, and feeling the emptiness of a room without another person’s warmth is unsettling.

I keep turning about and looking for someone.

What happened to them? Why aren’t they here too?

I may have been healed but if they died in the crash, then all the King's horses and all the King's men wouldn’t unflatten a corpse to live again.

“You’re awake.” A stranger says as they walk up to my cell door. I stop my pacing and meet their... does this thing have eyes?

No, it doesn’t matter.

“I was with others, are they alright?” I try to keep my voice steady.

“There were many involved in the conflict but relatively few passed on before they could be contained. If you provide a name and description, I may be able to get back to you about their wellbeing.”

The strange man of carved wood is covered in silver veins of liquid ichor. He writes a few notes in a pad while I describe Vii, Eshya, and Nel.

“I suppose I’d also like to know what happened to Red. And Bessy.” I admit, adding the names to the list.

“The large one, Bessy you called her, was gravely injured but is receiving treatment and is expected to survive. I will check on the others in a moment.”

He steps closer and unlocks the cell door, watching me closely, focusing on my twitching hands and tapping foot.

“Before I answer any more questions, I would like for you to come with me. A number of welfare officers are available to give you an interview and review.”

I’d already guessed that this was the Unified States, I mean who else would hate the rebels this much but keep me alive? The term welfare officer just confirms my suspicions. I vaguely remember Red having quite a hate boner for these guys.

“Does that mean I shouldn’t ask what a welfare officer is?” I ask, stepping out of the cell and following the wooden man. Again, Chip tries to give me a name and again I refuse. Considering how language works, it’s just going to be a fake localised name just to fit my tongue.

Fargelbot. His species is now Fargelbot. I as the Empress declare it.

I repeat it a few times and I can feel Chip just accepting the new name. It’ll probably translate perfectly fine for whoever I’m talking to through some silly brain chip magic, too.

“That question I would be happy to answer. Welfare officers like us actively support and assist in the lives of the people of the Unified States of Mana. Our most chief duty to the people is identifying and correcting deviant and beastly behaviour.”

“Beastly behaviour?”

“You don’t need to understand the details. All you need to know is that we have your best interests in mind, so trust us. Follow any directions given by a welfare officer and you will live a good life.”

Great. More dystopia.

“Never been good at following directions, I always end up getting lost…”

We pass through the hall, through a sliding stone door, and enter into a wide room where half a dozen different aliens sit at a desk. They all wear a familiar armband, white with a yellow circle, and a few more details that differ between them.

“Kyra Baker. Please sit.” Says the elf in the centre. He looks unaged but that’s the thing with elves isn’t it, you can never tell how old they really are. I hope that doesn’t mean that Eshya is actually a little old granny.

I casually accept the offer, crossing my ankles and my arms while trying to keep from shifting around too much. The chair is blessedly soft, I can definitely see this sort of furniture in a psychologist’s office.

“We have a number of questions for you.” The elf continues, “Answer however feels natural.”

“Are you sure? I’ve been told that I can be quite rude, and that was by a mass murderess.” I shift awkwardly, the chair is too comfortable to match the tense atmosphere in the room. Their eyes, for the one’s with eyes at least, watch me closely, some already writing down notes.

“Have you killed any sapient beings?” The elf asks.

“This isn’t about the ship crash? The rebels?” I ask.

“That’s right.” He says softly, watching with cold eyes as he awaits my answer to his question.

He likely already knows the answer, others would have spoken about what’s happened. And if he doesn’t know yet, he will eventually anyway.

“I have helped kill a few beasts,” I reply, thinking of how the creatures died. The first, mulched; the second, burning alive as it was stabbed to death.

“There were also a few insect-slug-things.” I try not to think of what I did to them.

“Why did you kill them?” He asks, voice as low and soothing as before. He really is good at building a creepy atmosphere, he should try narrating horror stories.

“Why do you think? Do you think I had a choice?”

His questions are tugging at the cold rage that has been quieting my pains and anxieties for the last few days. As that familiar rage warms my body, I relax, meeting the eyes of the welfare officers one by one.

It may all be pretend, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t act with the dignity of an empress.

“Because the alternative was worse. My life, and those of my friends, are more important than the lives of a few beasts.”

They don’t flinch at my gaze, but neither do I falter.

“How do you feel about the lives you have taken?”

“Regretful,” I say.

Eshya said something about how the Unified States treats warriors, from that alone I can guess at some of what they want from me. That said, lying would leave a bad taste in my mouth.

They let the pause continue long enough for it to become awkward, so I continue.

“Killing is unpleasant, even when it’s the best choice available.” As I’m sure I’d deeply regret tearing open your chest and playing the xylophone with your ribs while you slowly bleed to death.

I take slow deep breaths to control the irritation stirring in me.

“That’s enough.” The elf says, a gentle smile rising on his lips, “Finally, should a civilisation ever condone the killing of sapient peoples?”

I understand that they expect and want a simple pleasant answer given quicky, but that would be submissive and undignified.

I pause and consider the question from the perspective of a person wanting to one day be a ruler. I think back to the town I was living in, how desperately they fought when the alien army sent a swarm of beasts over the walls. Even the children were given spears and expected to fight and to die to protect their community.

“Ideally, no. Practically, sometimes there is little choice but to settle disputes with violence.” I feel their gazes on me as I continue.

“We should work towards the ideal, while understanding and working within the framework of the unfortunate, practical reality.” How long has it been since I was writing papers with this sort of wordiness? It feels like an age, but in reality, it’s been less than a week.

“That is all.” The elf says, nodding at me quietly as he writes a few notes.

“This way please.” The guide says, walking to a different door from the one I came in through, “I believe that most of those you have spoken of are through here. However, Bessy is still receiving treatment elsewhere, and the one you called ‘Red’ is held in a separate area.”

“That would make sense,” I say with a little laugh, “I understand she has some issues.”

“That would be correct. She is in more desperate need of our care,” He says.

“Kyra!” Vii cries out from a cell nearby, her clothes are still as dishevelled as ever, but she looks healthy. In the cells opposite her I can see Nel and Eshya are both healthy as well, if frightfully quiet.

“You’re all okay?” I ask. Eshya nods lightly and looks away.

Nel just gazes into the distance, shivering slightly. It takes a few moments before she notices me, but when she does, it’s as if she wakes up.

“Kyra! You’re okay! Good! Good. Good.” Her shivers continue.

“Right in here please.” The guide says, opening a cell opposite to Nel, who’s pressing herself against the bars of her own cell to reach out for me.

“Okay, two things. Prison cells? Really? I don’t expect a five-star hotel, but prison cells?”

“It is for your wellbeing.” He says, “Though if it bothers you so much, then we can keep the door unlocked. I would still ask that you not leave your cell unless told to do so by a welfare officer.”

“Fine, not like you’re going to give me much of a choice anyway, but, I will be sharing a room with Nel.” I tell him in no uncertain terms, taking her hand through the metal bars.

Seeing how she was when I got here, I don’t want to be leaving her alone.

“If you both should wish it, then it should be acceptable, though the facilities are meant for a single occupant.” He says, keeping rather cold and unconcerned as he opens Nel’s cell.

She leaps on me the instant I’m in the room. I don’t recall her being this clingy before, but then we’ve rather consistently stayed together since the ship crash. The only exception being when I told her to help Eshya with clearing the town of beasts.

“I wish you the best. Someone will come by to take your orders for dinner soon. You should be returned to your lives shortly, once it is decided how best to support you.”

With these words, he leaves us. I notice a few other students in cells a little further down, but they keep quiet for the most part.

“You’re still alive.” Nel murmurs quietly, as her arms wrap around me a little too tightly. She presses her face into my neck as I pull us awkwardly over to the bed to sit down.

“I am, and so are you.” I pet her head, smoothing out her black hair. It seems that she has no chitin hidden along her scalp, only that little along her jawline. As well as her hands and parts of her legs.

I still have yet to get to the bottom of these hybrid races, though that healer from a while ago seemed to think it had to do with elvish blood.

Something to investigate if I ever get a good chance.

“It’s good you came back when you did,” Eshya says, her voice frightfully cold, “Nel wasn’t doing so well.”

“Really?”

Nel nods into my shoulder clinging tightly as an answer.

“Well, you two have been together most of the time we were out there, and didn’t you save her from Red, or something?”

“Oh, yeah. That did happen, didn’t it?” My memory feels a little fuzzy. The last few days have all been one thing after another and it’s difficult to separate events, or even days.

“Eshya, are you going to be okay?” I ask recalling her historic problems with the welfare officers, and putting one and one together.

“I will. I have to be.” Her reply is cold, and it hurts to hear. It burns.

After all we’ve been through, all that’s happened to us. We’re locked in cells and told to wait while someone else decides our fates.

Powerless.

“Eshya, stay patient.” I say, my eyes watering as I hold in my rage, “Remember what you want to become? If you’ll lend me your strength, I’ll make a better future for us. For all of us.”

She’s quiet, Nel nods as she clings to my side, and Vii, she’s back to scrawling in her book again.

“Okay,” Eshya finally whispers, “I’ll be patient.”

“Thank you. So, what do you think they have planned for us?” I ask.

If I had any choice in what happens next, I’d be heading to Earth and shopping for some psychologists for Nel and the others. Then I’d find some quiet island where no one would bother us.

“That depends,” Eshya replies, her voice still cold, “If we are judged too beastly, we may lose our freedom. If not, we should head to that academy we were meant to go to, with some oversight from the welfare officers, of course.”

“We’re finally going to the academy? That sounds like fun.”

“Yeah, it’ll be good!” Vii cries out, her voice wavering a little, “I’ve heard that it’s a beautiful world, and I’d really like to study properly again. If I don’t get back to studying, everything I learned in school will just fall out of my head.”

“I know what you mean. All the things I was learning back home are already fuzzy in my mind.” I laugh, shivering slightly. I clench my fist and release it. Then I close my fingers in, one at a time from the pinkie to the thumb. I clench and open again.

Nel tightly grips my other hand.

“Nel, are you going to go back to work when we get back? Find and meet with those friends you told me about?” I ask.

“I’m not sure… I’d like to stay with you.” She says quietly, “We should be allowed to stay together. You’ll… you’ll stay with me, right?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you can stay with me.” I run my hand down her back soothingly.

Consciously, I’m seeing some worrying signs from her. Clinging to me like this probably isn’t healthy, worse still is how she was acting before I got here.

The sore, anxious parts of me are instead comforted by how she clings to me. I just want to pull her close and rest. Hide away in the dark and forget all that happened, all that’s still coming for us.

I don’t know what to do.

But I do know that I don’t trust these people.

I want to be in control of my own fate. I want to be powerful enough to protect these girls. I refuse to be thrown about by the currents of fate with people like Red, and these welfare officers able to do with us as they please.

The door down the hallway opens, the hinge squealing loudly. We freeze as we listen to the footsteps approaching.

“Do you have any food preferences?” The lady asks Eshya.

“No. No preferences.” Her answer is simple and cold.

The lady moves on to Vii, and then finally to us.

“Anything is fine.” Nel answers without leaving my side.

“I would like something without meat.” I say. I still have the taste of person lingering in my mouth.

She nods and moves along, her strangely ethereal form gliding over the floor rather than properly walking.

The meal tastes better than I was expecting, but it was rather pitiful in terms of mana. Without hesitation, I push through with my mana boosting plan, spicing my meal with my own regurgitated mana. Unfortunately, the food holds mana worse than the meat I was using last time, but it’s still enough for a little fortification of my mana density.

Afterwards, I rest and try to stabilise my mana form so that it won’t burst in the night like the last time.

Nel holds me tighter than ever before as we lie on the single person bed. The lights dull, and sleep overcomes her.

I stare at the dark roof, waiting for alarms to start blaring.

For a terrible force to knock the building down.

For Red to come charging through and drag us into a fight.

For the welfare officers to come in here and start killing us.

Longer and longer, I wait for something to come.

It will.

This isn’t over, yet.

It’ll never be over.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Class & Skills

~Mana Form: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop your mana form.

Current mana density: 310 units

~Mana distribution:

Skin: 20%

Muscle: 6%

Mind: 1%

Cardiovascular: 6%

Misc.: 1%

Efficiency: 34%

~Fire Magic: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop a Skill for fire manipulation.

-Skill: Flame burst

-Skill: Fireball

~Defensive Techniques: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop a Skill for reactive mana skin.

-Skills: Mana skin

~Combat Techniques: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop a Skill for mana infusion strikes.

-Skills: Mana shield.

~Infusion Techniques: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop a Skill for lasting infused delayed casting.

-Skills: Infused delayed casting