Catastrae nervously fiddled with the blue prism in her hand as she walked into the port city.

She didn’t really know what this place was, but it was the first time she’d seen civilization since she left Draedon’s lab. People bustled around the city, doing...things. She didn’t really know what they would do. Was this what the world was like? She couldn’t help but feel anxiety as she realized just how many people there were. She’d already seen more people in these streets than she had in her whole, short life.

The city in question overlooked what almost looked like an enormous valley but was, in fact, the enormous desert that Catastrae had arrived from. On the other side of the city was a blue ocean. So in other words, it was situated on an isthmus between a barren desert inlaid into the ground and a sea, almost like a dam.

Catastrae wasn’t sure what to do now that she was here. People avoided her like the plague due to her robes, as though stepping within ten feet of her was going to get them killed.

Do they think I’m her? Do they know what she even looks like?

As she thought, someone stood in her path, a resolved expression on his face. Catastrae fell to a stop as she approached him.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

She raised an eyebrow. “Help? No, I don’t think I need help with anything.”

The man frowned at her response. He was equipped with brilliant green plate armor and had a spear on his back made of a similar metal, as well as a belt with a number of smaller items on it, such as a vial of red liquid. Still, he wore it all like it was light, and his helmet didn’t obscure his face.

“Then would you mind if I asked why a disciple has...graced Furthenmel with their presence?”

“A...” she blinked, wondering what the right response was. Eventually, she smiled, trying to imitate her sister. “No particular reason, I am only looking around.” Catastrae had no idea what a disciple was. She had merely guessed from his tone that they were, perhaps, powerful.

He gritted his teeth. “Then would you mind if I escorted you through Furthenmel?”

“I would not,” she said, walking past him.

He walked by her side, staring dangerously at her. “Could I ask for your name?”

“You may call me Catastrae,” the nervous witch said.

“Hmm...And you can call me Challad, the hero of the Furthenmel. Was there anything you were looking for?”

“Oh, not particularly.” Catastrae put away the prism and began absently fiddling with her staff, twirling the deadly weapon around with one hand. He’s trying to be nice, right? Is that how nice people act? “As I said, I’m just taking a look around the city. I happen to be on a mission.”

Challad nervously glanced at the mechanical staff. “Is that so? What kind?”

“It is...more like a challenge. One to prove my worth and grow stronger.”

“I see. Was it...her who asked you to partake?”

“No. It was someone else.” A silence ensured as she walked. “Could I ask you, are there any...” she nervously began, “...any places with good food, here?”

“Good food? Of course there are. We specialize in seafood, though. If you have any sort of...preference or allergies...”

She nodded. “Literally anything will do, ha,” she said blandly despite punctuating it with an emotionless laugh. “I’ve been living off of tasteless mush, after all.”

Challad skeptically raised an eyebrow. “I see...then follow me if you would.”

After a few minutes of walking, they made it to the beach, where a thirty-foot-elevated balcony overlooked the ocean. “This would be the place,” he said. He proceeded to leap to the platform and expectantly looked for Catastrae to follow.

She frowned as she followed suit, landing beside him. Perhaps he wasn’t quite as much of a...pedestrian as she thought. To her knowledge, most people weren’t so strong.

Both of them appraisingly squinted at each other, and Challad was the first to break the tension, motioning a hand to the city. The sun was quickly vanishing under the horizon, and so lights began to turn on behind the plaster walls of the buildings. People were beginning to slowly return to their homes, and many ships had begun to return to the harbor with their catches. The city lights were a beautiful sight to both Catastrae and Challad, though each for different reasons.

“As you can see, the city is thriving despite everything...Catastrae.”

She wasn’t sure what he was trying to imply, so she simply turned away, looking at the shiny marble tables behind them. “That’s...good to hear? Now, could you treat me to food?”

He glanced between her and the city with confusion. “Y-yes, of course. Why don’t you take a seat? I’ll ask the cooks to prepare you a fine dish.”

“Thank you.”

As he walked inside the building, Catastrae looked at the city. She didn’t think much of it, really. Without anything like ‘positive emotions’ it was difficult to be ‘moved’ by the sight or anything along those lines.

Instead, the people reminded her of what she’d lost.

“Two...”

In casual clothes similar to those of the city, One, Two, and Three snacked on gummies. Two had her usual pacified expression as she chewed, yet chose to be with them of her own will. One was shoving more and more gummies in her mouth, and Three was angrily telling her off for hogging the food. One just smugly smirked as she taunted Three. Yet, despite their dispositions, a smile was on all their faces.

Tears fell from her eyes as she imagined the impossible scene.

“Umm...” She glanced to the side to see Challad awkwardly staring at her from his seat. “Is...something wrong?”

Catastrae shook her head and wiped her tears away. “Nothing is. The city looks...nice.”

“Is that so? Thank you for your praise,” he said with an inflection that Catastrae didn’t recognize.

She frowned. His response seemed to imply that the city was ‘his’ in some way. “Are...you proud of...” What was it called again? “...Furthenmel?”

“Yes. I wouldn’t attribute it all to myself, although I am proud of what I have accomplished...” He narrowed his eyes. “...I wouldn’t hesitate to do anything I could to defend it.”

“I see.” So maybe he’s, like, a fighter? she thought as if the armor didn’t give it away.

They both remained quiet for some time as Catastrae continued gazing at the city. Challad had no intention of conversing if he wasn’t spoken to.

Eventually, she was delivered her food, a nervous server placing a tray before her.

She sniffed it. “Woah, that smells weird,” she said.

The server froze in fear as Challad narrowed his eyes. He opened his mouth, then closed it.

Catastrae didn’t understand their reaction at all, and simply picked up her fork and began shoveling the refined seafood into her mouth as they watched. In no time at all, she had downed the whole meal before their unbelieving eyes.

She nodded. “Satisfactory. Where’s the rest of the food?”

Challad’s raised an eyebrow nervously. “O-oh, yes. How much more would you like?”

Catastrae seriously stared at him, her gaze laser-focused as though she were ready to kill. “How much can they make? I don’t enjoy living on an empty stomach.”

His eyes fell to the frozen server, causing them to panickedly say, “A-a lot! We can make all the food you want! I-I’ll ask them to prepare seconds immediately, pleasedon’tkillme!”

Catastrae tilted her head as he shielded his face with his serving plate. “Why would I kill you? Go, go! Make the food.”

“Y-yes!” he ran back into the building.

She shook her head, clicking her tongue. “As if that would be enough...”

Some time passed as Catastrae rested her head on a fist. Challad ate his food slowly, but when her eyes landed on him, staring straight at him questioningly, he began to eat faster.

Once he finished, Catastrae sighed and dispassionately said, “I’m bored.”

“I’m...sorry about that?”

“Tell me a story.”

“A...story?” he said like she was rediculous.

“Yes. Like a bedtime story.”

“A...bedtime...I’ll see if I can remember anything...” After a few seconds, he said, “Once, there was a ninja.”

“What’s a ninja?”

He seemed confused, but explained anyway, “A ninja is a fighter who kills people in the dead of night with speed. Erm...so this ninja was a disciple of The Slime God, an elusive creature that granted powers upon those of the clan of ninjas.”

“I see...”

“And as such, the slimes would avoid attacking people from that clan, including the ninja in question. One day, he was seeking out a crown said to have been worn by the ancient earth elemental, which had a jewel within it known as the ‘Crown Jewel’, a relic said to be the source of the crown’s power, as well as the largest ruby in the world. However, the ninja soon learned that this crown was now under the possession of a slime.”

“A...slime?” Slimes, Catastrae knew, were perhaps the most simple lifeforms in the world. They were creatures who would simply consume whatever they could and were so adaptive that they would even be found in the most impossible of living environments. However, despite it all, they were notoriously harmless and stupid.

“A slime. So, he met the slime in a clearing as it consumed trees and foliage, and yelled to it, “Give me your crown, slime!”

“Okay...?”

“And so he confidently waited for it approach and hand him the crown as though the crowned slime were his subject. Until, inevitably, the slime leaped up once more and enveloped the ninja without a care in the world, and continued its never-ending march toward sustenance.”

Catastrae remained in silence before blinking in confusion. “Well, that was anti-climactic.”

“Oh, I apologize. You asked for a bedtime story, and that’s one of the few I remember from when I was a child. I may have missed some details.”

“But what’s the moral of the story?”

“Well, it’s a cautionary tale. The ninja was overconfident. He thought that nobody would rise against him, and so when he let his guard down and allowed the threat to grow closer and closer, he caused his own end.”

“Ahh, that makes more sense, thanks.” Catastrae’s eyes followed the approaching server as he placed an array of food before her.

He narrowed his eyes. “Y-yes, I’m glad you liked the story.”

Catastrae began voraciously filling her belly as dusk arrived...