Haru didn't know what she was expecting; something smelly, maybe, with weeping willows and trees reaching for the sky, blotting out the sun. What she got was… well, as Aurelia said, it certainly wasn't what she'd been expecting, at the very least. The city gave way to water; a deep river, ponds and streams, with roads that were more like wide wooden bridges grown into just the right shape for walking across. There, she could see lights under the water, perhaps homes, and there, in the treetops, more homes. Her head angling slightly, Haru admired the chaos of it- there was no organization, there was only… chaos, that really was the word.
It was beautiful, in a strange way; Haru found herself sucking in a breath of air that felt impossibly fresh, and shook her head, looking at Aurelia.
"Forest, desert, swamp… what's the other part of the city?"
"It's in the mountain itself," Aurelia answered without pause, continuing on. "It houses the nocturnal species or those who have an aversion to sunlight- by extension, it's mostly self sufficient and doesn't rely on the rest of the city for much of anything."
"Interesting," Alexander spoke thoughtfully, crossing his arms as they continued on. "This place is beautiful," He whispered, almost reverently. "Fox, would you live somewhere like this?"
"I don't know," Fox shrugged, looking around.
"We're gonna skip the desert, sorry- it's too hot for me, and there's no guarantee of spotting the dragons anyway," Aurelia cut in, stretching. "I figure we can stop for lunch while we're in the mountain though, before we head back- there's a great hot spring there, and we can buy you clothes that fit properly while we're there, so it all works out. Don't worry, Queen gave me some money to work with, so no feeling bad. Government taxes going to the homeless? Starria could never."
"Hah. That sounds right," Alexander chuckled. "I want to continue on, but I'm fairly certain that I've already made up my mind- this kind of place, at least in the short term, it's one I want to fight for. Maybe when all my memories come back, I can find somebody who'd help me get home."
"Me, too." Fox agreed, rolling her shoulders. "It's not all back, but I remember that I was alone. It… this kind of unity is inspiring."
On they went, Haru quietly wondering why she remembered nothing, blinking around slowly. She felt vaguely uneasy- as if she was being watched; but every time she turned around one way or the other, there was nobody there. A few times, she thought that she saw eyes through the trees, but whenever she'd step toward them, a bit, they always blended into a nearby tree- berries here, birds there… and so, feeling quite crazy, Haru kept her mouth shut, trying to ignore that uneasy sense of being watched. After a while, there came a tunnel, and Aurelia paused, turning to look back at them.
"It'll be dark for a hot moment, and then light. Just follow me- the path is straightforward, but you could divert to the desert from here if you wanted." The three of them still stood on one of those wooden pathways, but the area had become much rockier now, with debris strewn about here and there; it was enchanting, as if the two landscapes of gravelly mine and clear swamp had simply crashed into each other and fused at the seams.
"Heard," Alex affirmed.
"Haru," Aurelia cut in, and the white-haired girl looked up. "Are you okay? You're not speaking at all- you're not feeling bad for winning that little sparring match with Lily are you?"
"No. I'm fine," Haru shook her head, shrugging.
"Then, what's wrong?"
Nothing is wrong. I just told you that, Aurelia.
"Nothing."
"Haru, I won't keep prying, but clearly there's something…"
"There's not." Haru shook her head, and for a moment, the two only stared at each other before Aurelia nodded, her mismatched eyes glittering with something dark as she turned. "Come on. Follow me, guys, and stay close behind- the undercity is chaotic. Beautiful, but, wander too far from me and you might get lost."
Shaking her head, Haru followed along into the cave, which may well have just been the entrance to any old mine or cave… and as she walked, her vision went dark, as Aurelia had promised, in a matter of moments. She could barely see the silhouette of the people around her in the fading backdrop of sunlight coming from behind- and then, just when she felt that she might truly go blind, they turned a corner and emerged into something beautiful. A myriad of what might have been magical lights; flat crystals glowing a faint golden color, lighting things. There wasn't much to see for now, save for the passage itself, but even that, with its uneven ridges and brilliantly warm light, was gorgeous in a way all its own. The space was easily tall enough to fit a few of herself in any direction, and continued into the distance, twisting and turning now and then, so that Haru could see no ending.
"A city like this must be impossible to attack," Alexander noted, and Aurelia nodded, not answering directly.
"We're almost there," Aurelia spoke softly, her steps relaxed, measured.
"I'm only curious," Haru asked, finally thinking of something to say. "Why are you two so ready to join the military? Aren't you worried that you're being magically manipulated, or something?"
"Well," Alexander sucked in a breath, thinking. "My thinking is this; if I'm being manipulated into joining their cause, and the cause in question is peace, unity, and fairness for all, then maybe being manipulated isn't so bad?"
"For me," Fox muttered. "I want to protect. It's what he said."
"I see," Haru whispered, walking along with them, thinking, chewing her cheek. Something swam behind her eyes, now; a memory surfacing slowly, though the details were fuzzy. A classroom, a girl speaking to her…
"You don't have to be special to protect somebody! If you can make at least one person smile, then you've already chosen to do more good than some ever will- kindness isn't supposed to be about profit, it's supposed to be about coming together and common goodness," The girl had said, and Haru couldn't remember the girl's face, but she remembered the smile she'd given.
Remembered, the reply she'd given; "Kindness is never really free, though, is it?"
"You of all people saying that is an irony," The girl had replied with a light, musical sort of laugh. "After all, who else would give their last dollar away so that somebody else doesn't go hungry."
"No," Haru had responded drily. "I'm not any more kind than I should be."
"And yet, that makes you more kind than most I'll ever meet, by itself."
"Sure," Haru had countered, back then. "If I was in a position of power though, it would be different. A king, or a warlord, you know?"
"Yeah? How so? You'd get rid of taxes?" The young girl laughed, half snorting into her hand.
"No. I'd kill the people who get in the way of peace- the dead don't re-offend," Haru had explained, chuckling. "It would create a better world, if we were less afraid to kill. Killing in the name of sparing the hundreds they'd go on to kill… how can anybody say that putting down one parasite to save an entire farm is cruel?"
"Haru?" Not the girl- Fox. "Are you okay? Still with us?"
The white-haired girl snapped out of it, nodding and looking around; the tunnel was widening out, now, and there was a sigh hanging from the roof- 'Welcome to the Undercity.'. They walked forward, and Haru's eyes widened, as she looked around, muscles relaxing slowly; it was beautiful, and that didn't even begin to cover it. Just as chaotic as the city outside, the roads were made from polished marble, and homes, or maybe shops- how was she to know?!- protruded from walls and ceilings, chained themselves through the air, or disappeared into the ceiling of the cavern, which might have been a few hundred Aurelias over her head. Looking down at street level to curb the feeling of dizziness, she was, even then, blown away, by the array of shops offering greasy snacks, weapons, and more.
Oh, the people; here they were even more diverse than what she'd already seen. Humans and elves and dwarves? Something like that- but more- there a man with the ears and skin tone, fur, of a bat. There, a woman flying around with wings that sat where her arms ought to be, talons at the ends of her legs, swinging about from loose stones in the ceiling and laughing gleefully. There was a pair of young women playing catch with a ball of fire, their skin purple and red, glistening with sweat- or over there, a man chuckled and sipped from a cup, walking around on the body and eight legs of a spider. "What the hell?!" Haru laughed, eyes wide, and hurried forward, looking around all the more.
"Woah, sleep-machine has some energy?" Aurelia laughed, and for a moment, Haru wasn't in the Undercity- she was standing back in Tokyo, downtown, surrounded by tall buildings and colorful billboards. It hit her like an electric shock- she was just a kid, in awe of the world and worrying about homework. Homework- teachers- the names still evaded her, as did the faces, but even so, Haru felt color flood her dead mind like it hadn't yet, eyes widening as she snapped back to her senses, looking around the marble undercity and its lights- which came from street lamps, but also more of those golden rocks embedded in the cavern ceiling far over her head.
"What is this place," Haru snapped, tail starting to wag. "Holy shit, it's like somebody just ripped a veil off my mind- did I get reincarnated?? That's so cool, like hello?! I was a total normie before!!" She added, laughing wildly and walking forward. "No reason for me to want to go back, this is actually AWESOME?! I couldn't think, I couldn't feel and it all just came back, it's like somebody was holding onto my soul and just dropped it back into my body!! I remember I always wanted to be kind and guarantee the happiness of as many as I could, so Alex and Fox, your reasons for joining the military reminded me-!"
"Jeez, who are you?" Aurelia smiled, walking forward and pushing Haru's hair out of her face. "Different person, all of a sudden."
"My personality- it didn't exist!" Haru explained, stepping back embarrassedly at the touch. "No feelings, no thoughts, no desires, everything felt muted- I'm good, I really am good!! Come on, let's get to those springs or whatever you mentioned!! And clothes shopping I don't have to pay for?! I'm ready to be dripped out!!"
"Dripped out? What does that mean?" Aurelia snorted, and Fox stepped forward, brushing past her and wrapping her arms around Haru's waist.
"Glad that you're feeling better," The demure girl spoke with a soft smile, all red cheeks and sugary smile, before she stepped back, a moment later.
"I think dripped out is an expression for, looking good," Alexander chimed in. "Context clues, anyway. Never heard of it personally."
"Yeah that- I'm gonna be like a real fantasy hero!!" Haru laughed and nodded, then shook her head. "At least, I'm gonna look like one," She added, chuckling, covering her mouth as a yawn split her jaw apart, for a moment. "Jeez… I'm tired, what the hell."
"I'm glad that you're excited, glad you got your memories back," Alex chuckled, walking past Haru and patting her head in passing. "Now stop causing a scene- people are staring."
"Right, sorry," Haru laughed lightly, covering her mouth and hurrying onward.
-
"Mmm," Haru sighed, slowly sinking into the water, sighing, holding her towel to her chest, keeping herself covered. Fox sat to her right, close but not touching, and Aurelia to her left. Alexander sat, as well, off to her left, sighing and leaning back, stretching, resting his dark-colored arms along the edge of the spring to either side of him. The area was beautiful, the snow-and-coal-haired woman thought to herself, looking around once more. If not for the shopping bags full of stylish clothing behind them, the place might have been natural. "My legs hurt, so much walking today…"
They'd traveled for miles- up and down through the undercity- the work and mining levels, the residential areas- and now they were here at the springs, far removed from the hustle and bustle and noise. Haru got the funny feeling that, had she not been with Aurelia, this place might have been terrifyingly expensive for her to have any sort of access to.
"Agreed," Alexander laughed tiredly, closing his eyes. "These springs are divine; I could fall asleep. Thank you, for being our guide today, Aurelia, it's truly and greatly appreciated. I am certain that the girls feel the same- and I do apologize, if my openly expressing my feelings can be a bit obnoxious. I think that this day is doing us all some good, though."
"Truly," Aurelia laughed, closing her eyes and leaning back as well. "Don't worry about it, I'm happy to help where I can. It's a day off work, in a way; at least, I don't feel like I'm babysitting. So, Haru; all your memories back? How do you feel?"
"Alive, really," Haru replied immediately, albeit somewhat tiredly. "It's weird, I remember a lot and not much, at the same time."
"What do you mean?" Alexander was the one to raise an eyebrow, curious.
"I remember where I'm from, but I don't remember what I wanted to do with my life. No names, no faces- but, maybe it's just aftereffects of whatever spell was cast on us. I remember bits and pieces, anyway." She nodded, and in her slow blink, she failed to notice the way Aurelia's eyes flicked away under the guise of having heard something.
"So, we know the decision that Alexander and Fox have made," Aurelia spoke quietly, after a moment. "How about you, Haru? Do you plan to join the CA?"
"No," Haru spoke, and without thinking. "I know it may be a bit silly- but I think that I want to explore this world, and make something of myself, if I can. If I fail, I can always enlist later, right?" For a moment, there was silence, but Haru couldn't help notice something in Fox's eyes; something dark, upset.
"I get it," Aurelia replied after a long pause, crossing her legs under the water and yawning into her hand. "You're in an entirely new world with the freedom to explore it. Find work, sleep in barns, see what the world has to offer you- that's fine, but do be careful."
"Careful why?" Haru angled her head.
"Things like stopping bandits and hunting rogue demons- that's all governmentally regulated. There're not many jobs you can make good money in while traveling, and even fewer with little to no qualifications. Still, I understand the urge- and I won't try to stop you."
"It's just that, there's something in me, I think, that couldn't content themselves with a life of order. I've always wanted to explore, I think- I can't be sure, but it feels right. I was a student before, maybe I hated the constrictive nature of it- or maybe I hated the societal rules I was born into. I don't know, but I want to try and figure it out- I mean, doesn't it feel right, to want to see the world?"
"Ha. No, it doesn't feel right," Aurelia shook her head, but there was a wistful smile on her face. "I envy your innocence, though. I remember, once upon a time, I was a lot like you."
"What happened to that, then?" Haru angled her head, curious.
"I lost somebody," Aurelia smiled wistfully. "It taught me a lot. A lesson I hope you never have to learn- but, that's too much information, sorry."
"Not at all."
"I have another idea- a position we could offer you, Haru. Let me talk to the Queen, can you give me a few days to decide? I'll let you crash on my couch in the meantime, if it comes to that."
"Really?" Haru blinked rapidly, eyes widening with vague surprise. "Why would you do that for me? Well, and, what do you have in mind?"
"Just… I don't want to get you excited, but it's an idea, okay? Just be good, give me a few days," Aurelia laughed, yawning enormously. "Jeez, I really am tired… let's just rest, here, for a few, before we go back."